It's a Small World, Afterall
by HoneyTwilight
Summary: When teens from around the world are summoned to a special school called the IYSA, things can get pretty hectic. Little do they know that evil lurks in the shadows, waiting... Was Two Years to Remember: The IYSA. Rewritten, Pairings and warnings inside!
1. Prologue Can be skipped

_**READING THIS PART ISN'T NESSECARY… JUST KNOW IT'S MAINLY USUK, FRANADA, AND VARIOUS OTHER COUPLES THAT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I WANT TO ADD IN SOME PRUCAN AND OTHER CUTE STUFFS! THE NEXT CHAPTER'S UP, JUST GO TO THAT IF THIS IS TOO PAINFUL TO READ.**_

**A/N: Kuro and Hani are in the story for THIS PART ONLY. This is the only time we will appear; we just wanted a special way to reintroduce the story. So here we go!**

_The human form of a demon, shrouded in her own shadowy aura, sits on a windowsill, looking out the window to a black, black sky. Her eyes are covered by a dark robe, leaving her sickly pale skin exposed from the tip of her nose to the nape of her neck. A thunder storm rages in the distance, lightning flashing every so often and is followed by the violent rumble of thunder. The demon looks up, seeing a person in the doorway._

_ "Ah, hello, young one. I see you have stumbled into Hetalia Manor. Tell me, what is your name?"_

_ The person recites their name cautiously; they are wary of the shadowy figure that was the demon's appearance. The voice may be silky and comforting, but the person was able to sense that the presence was an evil one._

_ "Your name is Reader? Well then, my dear Reader, welcome. May I ask why you are here?"_

_ The person tells them why they were there._

_ "Oh, I see. You have come to hear the story of this place, then? Have a seat, make yourself comfortable. The tale I have to tell is not a short one."_

_ Reader blinks, looking interested. "Could you tell me more about it, before you begin? Perhaps an introduction of some sort?"_

_ The demon looks thoughtful, then nods. "Yes, youngling… The story is one of lovers, friends, and rivals who must band together when faced with a danger that could potentially kill them all. I cannot promise you, child, that this story will be a happy one, for all there may be happy elements. There is many a tragedy that befalls our heroes. This tale is also of hurt, sorrow, and betrayal, which-"_

_ A bright, shining child wearing a thoughtful frown pops up next to the demon. The child was an angel, clothed in crisp white clothes that seemed to make her radiate all the more. The golden glow wrapped around her small body like a shawl, embracing golden locks, snowy skin and ocean-blue eyes. In her arms is a golden bunny, and on her shoulder is an auburn squirrel. Both peer around the room with a bored expression, completely calm. Reader relaxes after taking note of this. "Well, not so much betrayal…" The angel turns to the demon, blinking in question. "I mean, could you call it that?"_

_ "Hani!" the demon growls, swatting the girl upside the head, "You just ruined the entire atmosphere, I really put some effort into weaving it!"_

_ "Well, excuse me then!" Hani pouts, glaring at the other. "Kuro, even _I _could have done a better job. And plus, that was all you had to do! I did all the hard work by putting all the journals together! You just have to read them to Reader!"_

_ Reader looks at the two, hopelessly confused. Hani takes note of this, "Heya! I'm the awesome author of this story. Kuro here is just my grumpy, beta-tan sister. These little guys here," she motions to the two animals, "are Usa and Kiku, my awesome-tan betaloid and my best friends who give me awesome plot inspiration! We're collaborating on this to tell the world the TRUE story of the IYSA! Are you ready?"_

_ Reader nods, "Yeah, sure, but aren't you going to finish the introduction…?"_

_ "Oh! Right! Kuro, you can finish, ve!" Hani excitedly bounces over to Reader, sits next to them on the couch, and curls up next to them happily. "Shhh, it's story time!"_

_After glaring at the young angel, Kuro continues. "I can, however, promise you that it does turn out relatively okay, a happy ending for most of our heroes. I will not be telling the story through my own words; no, rather I shall be reading from the journals of our heroes, so none of that feeling is lost… I shall begin with Alfred F. Jones, the main character of this story…"_

**:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):**

**Hey y'all! HaniTwili and KuroKitsu here bringing you the new and improved IYSA, renamed "It's a Small World, After-all"!**

**Hani: I've finally done it! After all my hard work, my re-planning, my plot re-working, my re-writing, I've finally finished redoing it! ;_;**

**Kuro: I know…It's been so hard to get you away from the computer. Idiot, you need to get a life…**

**Hani: So, pairings WILL change throughout, but the end results will be:**

**America/England, France/Canada, Germany/Italy, SPAIN/ROMANO, Greece/Japan, Prussia/Hungary, Austria/Switzerland, Sweden/Finland, Denmark/Norway, Iceland/Seychelles, Egypt/Hong Kong, and a few others I can't remember…**

**Kuro: You don't even support half of those anymore!**

**Hani: Which is why the pairings are **_**SUBJECT TO CHANGE**_**. I think I'll kill myself if there's no FrUK or PruCan!**

**Kuro: Why's Spamano in caps?**

**Hani: BECAUSE IT'S THE BEST PAIRING EVER. LIKE, EVER! Oh, here's a list of characters and their approximate ages. If you have a bone to pick with something, please tell me because it could be important. Thanks to whoever it was that told me that I accidentally made Iceland older than the other Nordics; that was a really stupid mistake!**

**Northern Italy—**

Feliciano Vargas, Male, 14

**Germany—**

Ludwig Beilschmidt, Male, 15

**Japan—**

Kiku Honda, Male, 14

**America—**

Alfred Jones, Male, 14

**England—**

Arthur Kirkland, Male, 15

**France—**

Francis Bonnefoy, Male, 16

**Russia—**

Ivan Braginski, Male, 14

**China—**

Yao Wang, Male, 16

**Southern Italy—**

Lovino Vargas, Male, 16

**Spain—**

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Male, 16

**Austria—**

Roderich Edelstein, Male, 15

**Hungary—**

Elizaveta Hedervary, Female, 14

**Poland—**

Feliks Lukasiewicz, Male, 15

**Switzerland—**

Basch Zwingli, Male, 16

**Liechtenstein—**

Lili Zwingli, Female, 12

**Belarus—**

Natalia Arlovskaya, Female, 13

**Ukraine—**

Yekaterina Braginskaya, Female, 16

**Sweden—**

Berwald Oxenstierna, Male, 15

**Finland—**

Tino Vainamoinen, Male, 15

**Denmark—**

Matthias Kohler, Male, 16

**Norway—**

Nikolai Aspen, Male, 15

**Iceland—**

Jokull Haraldurson, Male, 13

**Greece—**

Herecles Karpusi, Male, 14

**Turkey—**

Sadiq Adnan, Male, 15

**Egypt—**

Gupta Muhammad Hassan, Male, 14

**Lithuania—**

Toris Lorinaitis, Male, 15

**Estonia—**

Eduard Von Bock, Male, 14

**Latvia— **

Raivis Galante, Male, 13

**South Korea—**

Im Yong Soo, Male, 15

**Hong Kong—**

Hong Wang, Male, 12

**Taiwan—**

MeiMei Huang, Female, 13

**Vietnam—**

Huong Che, Female, 13

**Canada—**

Mathieu Williams, Male, 14

**Cuba—**

Rico Vasques, Male, 15

**Seychelles—**

Chelle Bonnefoy, Female, 12

**Sealand—**

Peter Kirkland, Male, 12

**Australia—**

Joey Walker, Male, 14

**Prussia—**

Gilbert Beilschmidt, Male, 16

**Belgium**—

Bella , 14

**Netherlands—**

Lars , 15

**The teachers will be the Ancients minus China!**

**Kuro: ... **

…**Well for those of you who wish to go on, the next chapter is up.**

**Hani: Go on, people! Click the little next button!**


	2. Chapter 1

**:(:):-(Alfred's POV)-:(:):**

I sighed. This whole band thing wasn't exactly working out for me. Sure, I was well known in the state for my heroically awesome drum-playing skills, but seriously… I just knew that this probably wasn't headed anywhere. I put down my drumsticks and went to check on the mail, a sunny smile reassuming my lips. I looked through the letters, seeing if there was anything for me. Dad, Dad, Dad, Oh! A letter from Mattie! And… Oh my gosh—I—this was—OH MY GOSH! I'm in, I'm in, I'm in! I eagerly opened the letter. It read:

_Mr. Alfred Jones,_

_ You have been selected to be the representative of your country at the International Young Scholar's Academy. As a member of the IYSA, you will be expected to join the others on the first day at Hetalia Manor on the island of Nations, at 2:00 on June 13, 2010. As you know, this is a two year-long program, as it is a special offer for tuition. Means of transportation are attached. We look forward to seeing you!_

_ Augustus Caesar, Rome_

I let out a cry of elation. There was no way that-

"Alfred, is everything okay?" my father asked from the door, phone pressed to his ear.

"Yeah! Everything is PERFECT! Guess what just happened? I got accepted into the IYSA! The IYSA, Dad!"

"Really? That's great!" Dad's attention returned to the phone. "What is it, Mathieu? What, you too?" Dad looked up. "Alfred, Mathieu was accepted as well!"

"NO WAY! LET ME TALK TO MATTIE!" I screamed, launching myself at the house. I grabbed the phone as my Dad offered it to me, quickly greeting my twin brother.

"You got accepted to? Oh my god, this is just too PERFECT! I mean, what're the chances? I'm so excited, I haven't seen you in like four months!"

_ "Yeah! I can't wait to see you, Al! To be specific, it's been five months and fourteen days, but who's counting… Heh, well I guess I am… But really, it's awesome you were accepted! I didn't think I'd get accepted due to all of the better players… Because I'm not really that good at guitar, you know?"_

"Mattie, what're you talking about? You're REALLY good at it! Look at me, all I can play is the stupid drums! You have real talent, buddy!"

_"I do not!"_ there was a little grunt on the other side of the line, followed by a startled _"Maple!"_

"Mattie, you okay?"

"_Y-yeah… Kumaki just spilled some syrup…"_

_"Who?"_ came a soft call in the background.

_"I'm Mathieu…"_ the Canadian said with a sigh.

"So, anyways," I continued, ignoring the common occurrence. "We only have like, two weeks before the meeting! Two weeks 'till I can see you, Mattie!"

_"I know, I'm also very excited! I hope we can make a lot of friends!"_

"Yeah! Maybe we can hook up with some hot foreign girls as well… What'd ya say, Mattie? Wanna help me on my quest for love?" _Oh, man, I can't wait to meet the British one!_

_"O-okay… I don't see why not…"_

"I'll talk to you later, 'kay? See ya soon, then!"

_"Yes, we'll be together soon…"_ I could practically hear the small smile on my little brother's face. Mathieu had always been really close to me, and usually freaked out if we hadn't talked for a few days. As it was, we usually spent hours on the phone or webcam with each other every night. "_Well, I suppose I should bid you adieu now… Bye Alfred, love you!"_

"Love you too, Mattie. See ya." Both of us hung up the phone.

**:(:):-(Like, Two Weeks Later)-:(:):**

"_ALFRED! HURRY UP!_"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Lemme finish this, please, PLEASE!"

"_No, we're going to miss your plane!_"

"But-"

"_NOW._"

"Fine, I'm coming!" I sighed, pausing the game and turning off the monitor. Since I'm smart, I knew that doing that would keep my progress but would save energy! I'm not completely un-green or whatever you call it…. It didn't occur to me until later that I wouldn't be _seeing_ said computer for two years if I didn't come home on break… Whatever. I could always close the game by pulling it up on my laptop.

I rushed down the stairs, tripping over my poodle Tony, who angrily barked at me. I laughed and patted his back, causing the silver-dyed dog to attack my face in a succession of licks. Luckily, I managed to get away from him, only to nearly knock over my fish, Ameriwhale. It wasn't American nor whale, as it was a Canadian goldfish Matt got me last summer, but I named him such because America is as awesome as the fish, and because whales are awesome too. Bursting through the garage door, I tripped again. Laughing, I ran around the back and jumped into the passenger seat. After a few words, we backed out of the driveway and were on our way to Logan International Airport in Boston. From Boston, I'd go to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, then I'd go to Frankfurt, Germany, and finally to Italy, where I'd get on a final plane to the Island of Nations. Boston is awesome, if you didn't know. The whole Revolutionary War basically started there! Yeah, awesome. If you're wondering about the car-ride, it basically went like this:

"Hey, Dad, how come people look like we do?"

"Because God made us look like that."

"Why is that?"

"Because He wanted us to look like this."

"Why?" He looked at me quizzically.

"How am I supposed to know? Google it or something…"

"Why?" He was starting to get angry…

"You want to know, don't you?"

"Why?" He was glaring at me already? Wow, new record!

"You're the one who asked!"

"Why?" I could see him getting more and more flustered.

"Because you wanted to know!"

"Why?" Oh, he was really starting to turn red…

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING ME? YOU DO THIS EVERYTIME WE'RE IN A CONFINED SPACE FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES! BE QUIET AND LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!"

"…Why?" I asked quietly. He sent a really loathsome look at me out of the corner of his eye. I tried my hardest not to burst out laughing. Parents are really fun to rile up. I just played my DSi for the remainder of the ride, snickering from time to time at that priceless look on my father's face.

When we arrived, every time my Dad went to grab one of my bags, I would snatch it out of his grip. So when he went to the next one, I—once again—grabbed it, and gave him my other bag. Then, when he tried to walk, I slid right into his path, making him trip up. By the time we'd gotten to the bag area and security, he was almost purple with all of my antics. I grinned before entering the security line, and hugged him, said "Love you!" then took off. I looked back to see him looking confused, probably as to how he should react.

Security—not a hitch in the entire process. For all it took about an hour, it was a breeze. The guys were scary… And I'd never be disrespectful to a complete stranger. That'd be rude. People I know, though, that's a different story…! Over in the shops near the boarding thingies, I saw this really pretty girl getting hit on by a bunch of shady looking guys. She was about up to my shoulder in height, with long blonde hair (and I mean LONG! It went past her waist, practically!) and big blue eyes. Being the heroic me, I scared them off when I saw her looking a bit uncomfortable. The girl blushed and thanked me (even though she said she knew Tae Kwon Do) after I escorted her over to her plane-boarding-room-thingy… What are they called? Oh yeah, GATES! Like Bill Gates…

So, anyways, at our _gate_, me and the girl got to talking as I munched on the four Big Macs I'd gotten over at the McDonalds. It seems that we have a lot in common. She was going to France to live with her dad and brother, because her parents had been divorced when she was little, and then her mother had died in a car crash a few weeks ago. My mom took Mattie and moved to Canada... I sorta knew what she was going through, so I gave her some advice in the sibling department. We even traded cell numbers and emails! Her name was Carol Bonnefoy. She was pretty smart, too! We started talking about the _FableHaven_ series by Brandon Mull. I was currently in the middle of the third book. I honestly liked Warren the best, while she like Lena. Well, whatever floats her boat, as they say…

When we got on the plane, we decided on sitting together. She kept on giggling at the really lame pick-up lines I kept throwing at the attendants, like…

"I wish I could rearrange the alphabet so I could put U and I together…"

"It's not MY fault I fell in love. You tripped me!"

"You remind me of Pokemon. I gotta catch a Pikachu!"

"Hey babe… Drop that zero and get with the hero! In other words, ya'll better come with me."

We really hit it off! (She looked up a bunch of the pickup lines on this site, linesthataregood(dot)com(slash)lame(dot)html, and said that she quite often did things like that with her brother.) By the end of that wicked long plane ride, we were really good friends. We even battled each other via Pokemon SoulSilver!

Transferring was HECTIC! Me'n Carol parted ways, myself going the opposite direction. I actually met this kid on the plane, Kiku Honda, who was going to the IYSA too! He was really quiet and shy at first, but when I pulled out my DSi his face lit up and he asked if I wanted to battle. I eagerly agreed, and from there we hit it off! We played a BUNCH of DSi together… We babbled about different comics and anime, and then he started going on about how cool cats are. I just nodded and agreed.

As it turned out, he and I knew each other via the internet, where we are oft to battle each other and play RPG together! We've been playing together for almost 3 years, so it was totally cool that Shinobi-No-Kiai was in IYSA with me! We were known pretty well as the Dynamic Duo of Shinobi and Hero (which is my username, .Hero, abbreviated) in the RPG world. It wasn't always just us, sometimes we had the help of a few other regulars. Mainly it was . (A Brit who's been playing with me almost as long as Kiku), MapleSyprupFTW (Mattie, and my apprentice in most games), and LordAweSome (this German guy who's almost as awesome as me).

Back on topic. Sadly, we were staying in the separate dorms. But we're neighbors, at least! I was staying in the Allies Building, while he was staying in the Axis Building. While we were on the site, it turned out that we were actually arriving a day before most of the others were going to arrive. Me and Kiku were going to be there two days early… But Mattie was already there!

We arrived at the "Island of Nations" after watching _Princess Mononoke_, _Spirited Away_, and_ I Am Legend—_the last of which I did NOT constantly scream at. That would be Kiku. He seemed terrified! The zombies were actually kinda cute…—and stumbled out into the cool morning. On the same plane was the kid from Lithuania, named Toris Lorinaitis, and the kid from Poland, Feliks Lukasiewicz. Toris and I became fast friends, but he insisted on calling me 'Mr. Jones' and being all formal. I wasn't sure that Feliks knew he was in fact _male_, but it was cool because he turned out to be an awesome guy! Apparently, he and Toris had known each other when they were little.

After Kiku and I said goodbye to them, we clambered into the same car. This really pale, blonde guy was our driver. He introduced himself as Germania, but I concluded on calling him Legolas (he really looked like him!), riddling him with a ton of questions. Kiku accused me of "using my incessant inquiries as a means of irking the respectful gentleman", which I didn't try to deny; I merely delivered him my answer in the form of a sly grin.

Upon Arrival at Hetalia Manor

I gaped out the window at the HUMUNGOUS mansion in front of me. My gosh, it was a CASTLE! A gosh-dang CASTLE! With those huge towers and flags and stone statues and all that good stuff! I looked at the driver to see him smirking at us, amusement apparent. He pulled around the back of the enormous structure, going down a dirt road. The grass was lush green, with spontaneous patches of sunlight, as most of it was shaded by leafy oaks. The place was gorgeous! Through the window on my side, it was just a sea of grass, a short length of beach, and then an endless expanse of ocean to the horizon.

The driver suddenly stopped. I quickly unbuckled and escaped the confinement of the car, coming upon two large houses, Kiku by my side. There had to be four floors; houses aren't about four stories high and only have two floors. One was yellow with intricate white trim, and had a big white farmer's porch on the front. A lot of chairs were spread out along the structure, with a table here or there. The other was the same, only with red and black as the theme. I looked at the yard behind me. It was a long field of green. About halfway through, an enormous rock jutted out from the ground. A little garden surrounded it, with a few benches. The garden was filled with bright oranges, pinks, purples, blues, reds, and almost every other color imaginable. The field ended at an old stone wall. Through a gap in it, I could see sand and the ocean. Grabbing my stuff, I ran over to the door that the driver held open, since Kiku had already made his way into the red house. First thing I saw inside—a faceful of red cotton.

"AL!" came the ecstatic cry from my little brother.

"Mattie!" I yelled with the same amount of gusto. He tackled me to the ground, squeezing the breath out of me.

"You know each other?" Legolas asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

"We're twins!" we both answered in unison. I couldn't resist adding "Obviously."

"Al, I missed you SO much! I really couldn't wait, eh! I packed and un-packed and re-packed and un-packed like fifty-four times, but who's counting?"

"Apparently you."

"Oh yeah, good point…" Mattie let out a nervous laugh, and then decided to lead me to my room.

Man, was my room awesome! See, I'm a bit of a sucker for American history. My room was designed in a way that reminded me of Revolutionary America. The walls were painted a rustic red, the trim was a deep navy blue, and the ceiling and carpet were a crisp white. The curtains were a faded cream, and slid easily over the four wide windows on the wall opposite the door. Next to the door was an alcove, created by the walk-in closet that was just beyond the wall. In the alcove was a glass and black-painted titanium entertainment center, with a large TV positioned on top of it. Inside the case were my personal gaming systems and games, that'd been shipped off here about a week ago. Across the room, near the window rightmost of myself, was a door that reminded me of a saloon. Against the wall with the windows was a four-poster bed. It was made of dark wood, and above it was a red canopy. It was dressed with crisp white pillows and sheets, and smothered in a navy comforter. Leaning against the back of the bed was a desk, the short end touching the headboard. A black office chair was pushed into the transparent and black desk, and a black office lamp sat on top. The wall to my left was covered with an array of cubbies, which held my personal books and other trinkets to make me feel more at home.

I swung my suitcase onto my bed and rested my backpack on the ground next to it, deciding to scope out what exactly was behind the saloon-like door. Beyond the wooden door was a really nice bathroom. It was mirrored of a sort, the same thing on each side. Mattie told me I'd be sharing the bathroom with "whatever unfortunate Brit who lives in the adjourned room".

After he helped me unpack, my little twin gave me the grand tour. We found out that the kitchen unit was filled with Canadian (maple syrup. Lots and lots of maple syrup.), American, English, French, Russian, and Chinese food brands, and had really nice cooking ware. Not that I would know, because guys don't cook or bake… (Ok don't tell anyone but I love to bake. Stop your sniggering, it's very manly.)

There was also a music room, with Mattie's guitar and my drums, as well as a bass guitar, a violin, a flute, and a saxophone (which made me irrationally happy; I play saxophone in our town band). They must belong to whoever else was going to be staying here… After all, one of the main reasons for being here besides promoting world peace and academic studies was to form a band of sorts, composed entirely of teens, and host a world-peace concert. Cool, right?

There were also many other means of entertainment strewn amongst the house… Mattie somehow convinced me into playing hide-and-go-seek with him. I found him really easily, and instead of just being all childish and saying "FOUND YOU!" I sneaked around him, and stealthily startled him into saying "MAPLE!"

Later, I introduced Kiku to Mattie. Both looked ecstatic when they discovered that we were in the same exclusive RPG guild, founded by Kiku and myself! We all logged on after having pancakes Mattie made for dinner, where we went on a quest to build up Mattie's experience. Me and Kiku didn't really need it, as we were both level 134 (without cheating at all!) and the highest level anyone has ever reached was level 250. Mattie, however, is only level 67, so he needs it. I'm a Human in the Ranger class, Kiku is a Human in the Assassin class, and Mattie is an Elf in the Cleric class. We played well into the night.

Fun times… I had no idea how fast this little moment of bliss with my twin would escape, only to allow chaos to ensue…


	3. Chapter 2

**:(:):-(-Arthur's POV-)-:(:):**

I frowned, trying to decide what I'd wear for my day of travel. I eventually decided on my beloved green sweater vest, so perfectly accompanied by a white dress shirt, black tie, and brown slacks. I, Arthur Kirkland, was NOT going to make a bad first impression on the respectful people of the IYSA. With a sigh, I finished my preparations for the next day. I was going to be meeting a lot of people, which was kinda awkward for me at times, being somewhat anti-social. _This is going to be fun_, I thought sarcastically while absent-mindedly petting my unicorn, Charles. Flying Mint Bunny, usually called Mint, flew into my room and landed on my lap, demanding my attention.

"Everything will turn out okay, Arthur! Have some faith in us! If things turn rough, we'll just have to use our magic. We're a team, Arthur! We can do anything!" he smiled up at me. That thing was so cute at times…

"Thanks, Mint. I needed to hear that." I hugged him and turned off my light. I wouldn't be reading tonight—I'd have ample opportunity to do said activity tomorrow. Drifting off to sleep wasn't a hard task to accomplish, myself being near drop-dead exhausted. And the world faded to black…

**:(:):-(On the Final Plane)-:(:):**

I was not happy. No, not happy at all. The plane we were taking to the Island of Nations? Yeah, it only sat fifteen people. Not only had I been stuck between a violent Hungarian delinquent and a voyeuristic French pervert, but the "Prussian", Spaniard, and Italian in front of us were arguing amongst themselves. Also, the Grecian and Turk behind us were arguing over politics or something. The German, Italian, and Austrian way up front were blabbing animatedly about music… For another thing, the Sealander (why is he even here? Sealand is NOT a country!) was pestering the Latvian and Estonian about what sounded like the Power Rangers… I just wished the bloody wankers would belt the hell up! Seriously, if I have to deal with this for an hour longer…!

"_Good news, everybody! Our plane will be landing shortly. It should be about ten minutes until we land, so please return your chairs to their original upright positions. Thanks!"_

Thank god, it's almost over… I looked wistfully at the book in my hands, my thumb numb from holding my place the entire ride. I hadn't read a page. Not one. And I am bloody mad about it. I did my best to regulate my breathing as I tried not to strangle everyone within a five meter radius. I pulled out my laptop discreetly, checking the IYSA website. It looked like we were a day early. There were going to be two more flights, twenty people left to fly over.

About 20 minutes later, I was off the cursed plane and on the blessed ground. I allowed myself a little smile, one only for Charles, Mint, and myself. I idly watched the land slip by in the car-ride over to the dorms. In the car were the people staying at the Axis and Allies Buildings—the Italians, the Germans, Frog (as I so fondly named the Frenchman to my left), the Austrian, and the Hungarian. By this point, I was ready to pull out my hair. What I had left of it, anyways….

The second the car stopped moving, I was out of the door. Mint and Charles had already retrieved my luggage, so I rushed inside as fast as I could. I ellipsed at what I saw when I walked in. Two blonde teenage boys, twins, were on the ground wrestling each other. Both were laughing as they rolled around on the floor, having seemingly harmless fun. I cleared my throat, and both looked up at me, freezing in their act of merriment. They rose to their feet, looking embarrassed.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones! 'Sup?" said the cocky looking one (Hey! No snickering!). He held out a fist. I stared blankly at it. The boy, Alfred, grabbed my hand with his unoccupied one, curled it up into a fist and touched it to his own. "That's called a fist-touch. Get with the times, _old man_," the blonde teased. He was obviously American. How I detested them, taking the only thing that I ever truly cared about away from me…

"I-I'm Mathieu Williams. I'm representing Canada here. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance…" the shy one kept his tight embrace of a white bear with one hand, extending the other for me to shake.

I offered a polite smile as I clasped it. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, representing the United Kingdom." I almost missed the look of shock in the American's eyes upon my introduction. What, was there something wrong with me? I flashed him a steely glare, and returned to Mathieu. "I sincerely hope that we can get along, Mr. Williams."

He timidly nodded, withdrawing his hand. Nevertheless, he moved a bit over to the other's side, almost hiding behind the outgoing presence.

"Mattie… Quit bein' such a shy guy and get out here! And no, you can't go back to playing Mario Party now that I mentioned it! Come with me to greet our neighbors! And Artie, you'll come too, right?"

_Artie?_ I mentally vexed. My parents called me Artie. I loathed my parents. Though, they weren't the only ones who called me Artie… But only her! She's the only one who's allowed to! "First of all, do _not_ call me Artie unless you have a death wish. And, no, I have had enough of those bloody gits, thank you. I have spent the past four hours in confined areas with the lot of them, I have no intention of returning to their company. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to locate my room so I can deposit my things in said area… Do either of you know where I could…?" I left it hanging, with an imploring glance at the Canadian.

"Y-yes… I'll show you… Al, you can go ahead, I'll be right out. 'Kay?" he smiled softly, pushing the other forward.

"Yup! See ya out there, Mattie! Love ya!" Alfred ruffled his twin's hair and left.

"Love you, too!" the Canadian beamed at his brother. "Now… Ah, what should I call you? You can call me Matt, or Mattie, or whatever really, eh. It's just nice to be acknowledged."

"I… I think I'll stick to Mathieu. You may address me as Arthur, as you seem to be respectful enough. People such as the American downstairs would not have such privilege." I rolled my eyes.

"You'll have to forgive my brother…" Mathieu let out a little laugh. "I've always had a weak presence, and he has a really strong one, eh. He kinda shares our natural amount of it. I'm pretty shy, too, but when Al's around… I'm not so afraid anymore. He watches over me… Some people might think I'm clingy, because I'm always by his side when he's around, but I don't really care. He's my older brother; I don't want to lose him. He's really all I have, because our parents are divorced. So, if he's a bit loud or a bit eccentric or anything like that, that's just him being two people. He's my hero, but don't ever tell him that. He also has two people's egos, eh…"

I laughed at the last statement, as it was clearly meant to be a joke. "I think we may be able to get along very well, Mathieu," I said as we walked into my room.

Well, it was big, like the rest of the house. The walls were blue and red, while the trim was white and black. In the middle, between two windows, was a large bed. There was a large mirror next to a desk leaning against a wall. I placed my luggage and carry-on on top of my bed, and resolved to join the Canadian outside. I couldn't leave him alone now…

Mathieu rushed over to his brother the second he came into sight, latching onto his arm. Currently, the American was conversing with an auburn-haired boy, one of the Italians.

"Oh, hiya Mattie! This is Feliciano Vargas, from Italy!"

"Hello…" Mathieu extended a hand, only to be crushed in a hug from the other teen.

"_Ciao, le mio amico_! I'm Feliciano, but everyone calls me Feli! Well, besides _mio_ _fratello_, who insists on calling me the like… I'm a silly boy who loves pasta and pizza! My ancestors were from Rome, and I can play guitar! I even wrote a song for my German friend, wanna hear it? I- wait, what's your name?" The words tumbled out of his mouth like a waterfall; it was hard enough to understand him with that accent, but at the rate he was speaking…

"My name is Arthur Kirkland, good sir." I was almost knocked over by the crushing hug I received. Not only that, but he kissed me on both cheeks, much to my embarrassment. I'm not used to such displays of affection, as I don't get out much.

"I'm Mathieu Williams," Matt offered his hand timidly. Feliciano grinned and took it.

"Come, come, I'll introduce you to Ludwig, and Roderich, and _Fratello_, and Gilbert, and Daniel, and all the others!"

"Yeah! Let's go! Everyone follow me, the hero!" Alfred let out a hearty laugh and took off, dragging Matt along behind him. We entered the garden, where several people ran around. The French kid was being chased by the Hungarian boy with a frying pan. The Frenchman stopped, wrapping an arm around Matt's shoulder.

"And who is this?" he asked with a thick French accent. It made me want to throw up. He ran a finger along the Canadian's jaw line, bringing color to his cheeks. "Ah, why don't you come with me… You certainly seem… _delectable…._" At this point, Matt was beet-red, and cried out "MAPLE!"

"Alfred... Help me…!" he cried. Cue frying pan…. BLAM! And Frog fell to a heap on the ground upon impact. I smirked to myself. Mint was on the ground laughing at him, the thing breaking into hysteria. Why that was _that_ funny, I'll never know. He's just… Mint. That's the only way I can describe him. Alfred seemed to keep tabs on his brother the rest of the exchange of introductions, a protective arm hooked around Matt's shoulders.

I was officially introduced to the German, Ludwig Beilschmidt. He was a muscular blonde and looked a bit angry, but I found him to be a real sweetheart. He seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for Feliciano, looking upon the Italian tenderly. This was because both of them had just discovered that both of them had been penpals/e-pals for the past few years, and they were best friends due to the exchange. He was interested in rock music, romance novels, and the history of war. Ludwig's favorite activities were sports, reading, and physical training. Mismatch much?

After that, I met the Hungarian boy, Daniel Hedervary. He was pretty cold, and didn't talk much. I wasn't able to find much out about his personality.

Next, I made the Austrian, Roderich Edelstein, my acquaintance. He seemed somewhat… aristocratic in his mannerisms. He enjoyed classical music, piano, and studying. He wore stylish clothes, and kept most of his dark hair slicked back, except for a singular, curly strand of hair that a lot of the people around here have. Feliciano, the other Italian, Alfred, and Matt; all of them had one! It's so weird… I'll have to look into that…

Then, I met the other Italian, Lovino Vargas. He was Feli's older brother, senior by two years. He was a bit overbearing. Lovino was loud, and was flustered easily. The boy was extremely overprotective of his little sibling, a wary eye on Ludwig constant. He was into music, cooking, and reading, hobbies including napping, complaining, and eating. I could almost imagine my brothers snickering and saying that he's just like me…Not because it's true, because it's something they would say!

Followed by that, I was introduced to Kiku Honda, Japan's representative. He was very respectful, quiet, and proper. He had a perpetual smile, and seemed to be a little shy. His favorite activities were assessing the situation, making miniatures, surfing the web, and playing videogames. He enjoyed reading shoujo manga, Pokemon, and learning about other cultures. His favorite music was J-Pop, and he loved cats.

The last person around (that was conscious) was Gilbert Beilschmidt, apparently of Prussia. I hope he's aware that it isn't on the map anymore. He insisted I call him "The Awesomeness", which I immediately shot down. Gilbert was, surprisingly, an albino German. The chances of that? Slim to none. But his skin was paler than mine, he had blood red eyes and silvery hair. Everything but his face was covered by his clothes, as he was most likely trying not to get burned with skin that white. He was loud, conceited, and a total git. For all of it, I liked him, sort of. He seemed like a good guy who you could count on in a pinch, once you got past his narcissism, that is. I'm sure we could become friends at some point.

I found that besides Alfred and Matt, I was staying with the frog. Great. Matt helped me unpack after we finished conversing with the other students, followed by a while by the campfire. I sat between Alfred and Matt. Alfred made me; it wasn't any of MY choosing. I would rather sit between Kiku and Matt…

"So, what instrument does everyone play?" Feli asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"I play the drums!" Alfred was quick to answer. I responded that I played bass, followed by Matt saying he played acoustic guitar. Kiku played flute, Ludwig played trumpet, Feli played guitar, Daniel used his voice as an instrument, as did Lovi, and Roderich played piano/keyboard. I never found out what the frog did—he was still unconscious. We were quiet for a little longer.

And then, Gilbert suddenly turned to Daniel and asked, "Why are you so quiet? It's really annoying, you know. When in the company of someone as awesome as me, you should be blabbing about my awesomeness at least!"

Daniel shot him a glare. "I just don't feel like talking, if you _must_ know."

"And _why_ is that?"

"_You're_ annoying for asking! I have my reasons!" he shouted, his voice suddenly turning very feminine. He clasped his hands over his mouth, muttering "shit…"

"What was that?" Alfred asked, both of his eyebrows rising.

"Nothing," he quickly answered. "I'm going to go get changed out of these clothes, I want to feel more comfortable." The Hungarian left promptly, only to be followed by Gilbert.

**:(:):-(Gilbert's POV)-:(:):**

Daniel was a fast runner, I'll give the boy that. I started about two meters behind him, and by the time he'd reached our dorm's front porch, I was about six. And I was the fastest runner on the school track team! Chuckling, I made my way upstairs to the bedrooms. In the background, I could hear the soft and beautiful voice of a girl singing. …What?

"_Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you! Over again~, don't make me change my mind…_"

I opened the door into Danny's room, and froze at what I saw. Long, flowing curls cascaded down and over slim, pale shoulders. The prominent curves of a feminine figure were exposed to the air, only the most intimate of places covered by thin layers of cloth. A gorgeous voice tumbled out of a soft mouth, lips round in the motion of forming a vowel. Her eyes were closed as she lightly moved with the music, locating clothes. My eyes widened by themselves as I watched the person I'd thought was male slip on a pair of baggy jeans, and secure it in place with a black belt. When I gasped, a beautiful face turned to face me, startled. At first, her expression was shocked, then it turned into something that was a cross between mortification and anger.

"GODDAMMIT GILBERT GET THE HELL _OUT_ OF MY ROOM!" she screamed, pushing me out and slamming the door shut. After about two minutes of shocked silence on my part, the abused piece of wood that was Daniel's door opened, revealing a narrow-eyed Hungarian boy- eh, girl… Her hair had been pulled back into a hat that not only hid the mouse-brown tresses, but shading her intense leaf-green eyes. She was wearing the jeans and belt still, and had a black tee-shirt, with her breasts miraculously not visible…

"What the hell did you see?" she hissed, growling lowly as her frying pan appeared in her grip.

I gulped. "N-nothing, the awesome me swears. I mean, I may have seen something with my awesome eyes, but the shock of finding out that you're a girl kinda made my mind all numb and now the awesome me can't remember it…" _Well, not really…I just don't want to end up like that French kid, because that'd be totally un-awesome._

She rolled her eyes, putting the kitchen tool on her belt. She looked up at me with a neutral expression, folding her arms over her chest. "Well, at least you're decent enough to pretend you didn't see anything…" she sighed. "I guess I'll have to tell everyone."

"You don't have to if you don't want…" I said awkwardly, running my hand through my hair. "I mean, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, because that'd be totally un-awesome of me. Awesome people don't spill other people's secrets."

She raised an eyebrow at me, and shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. If you aren't laughing at me and stuff now, and you're one of the ones I'd expect to, then I think it'll be fine… The rest seem really nice." The girl grinned, and put a hand on my shoulder. "And if not, they'll just have to meet my frying-pan, _nem*_?"

**:(:):-(Arthur's POV)-:(:):**

After hearing a rather loud shriek come from the house, I figured that Gilbert had gotten himself caught. I rolled my eyes as the boy walked out looking rather smugly at our lot, as the Hungarian bore a confident grin.

"Hey, guys, you'll never guess what I just found out…" Gil grinned, reclaiming his seat next to Ludwig.

"What?" Alfred asked in a curious manner. I took note that the arm nearest me kept twitching, as if he was restraining himself from moving it. Irate, I growled. "God, Al, would you quit that twitching?"

"I can't!" he whined, as the twitching got worse.

The others continued to talk as we argued, and our bickering ceased when we heard Daniel say something rather unexpected:

"I'm a girl." She pulled off her cap, releasing brunette curls like a spring. Now that the hat was gone, her gender was rather obvious.

Most of us shrugged. "It doesn't really matter what gender you are; we won't think any less of you for being female, eh." Matt said.

"Yeah, girls are awesome. Why would anyone not take you seriously just because of that?"

"Back home, at the orphanage, girls are treated like some kind of joke." Her voice changed to her more feminine one from before. It was silky, smooth, suave, and clear, ringing with confidence. "The guys my age act like we're supposed to be stupid, weak, and incompetent. It's really annoying! So I thought… maybe… people might treat me differently if I was a guy." She blushed, looking away.

"If I might ask, what is your name, dear lady?" I asked gently, gaining her attention. "I shall assume that it is not Daniel."

"Elizaveta Hedervary, good sir," she grinned, answering jokingly.

"Well THAT was a quick change of character," Alfred grinned.

"Well _sorry_ if it displeased you!" she stuck out her tongue playfully, "I merely feel more accustomed to my surroundings, so I felt it was appropriate to branch out a little, is all."

"I saw her first," was a quiet remark to my left. The voice belonged to the Austrian, surprisingly…

"Uh, hello? The awesome me saw her fist, so I get her. If it weren't for the awesome me, none of you would have even known that she's a girl."

Before this turned into a joust for the young maiden's heart, I intervened. "Hey, hey, relax. You can fight for her heart later. Ultimately, it's up to her, though. It's Miss Hedervary's choice as to who she courts. Now, why don't we do something, I don't know, productive?"

"Oh! I know, we can sing!" Feliciano suggested. "Here, I'll start!" He randomly pulled out a guitar and started to strum.

"_Hey hey, Papa, could I have some wine?_

_Hey, hey, Momma, hey, hey Momma!_

_I simply cannot forget the taste of the Bolognese I ate before!" _he grinned at all of us.

"Come on, I know you all know it! We had to perform it for our applications!"

Alfred soon followed suit, and most of us joined in.

"_Draw a circle, it's the Earth!_

_Draw a circle, it's the Earth!_

_Draw a circle, it's the Earth!_

_I am…_" All of our voices called out our country's name. We started laughing at how strange it sounded.

"How about 'We are the whole wide world'?" Matt suggested.

"Oh! I wanna try that!"

"_Draw a circle, it's the Earth!_

_Take a look, it's the Earth!_

_Or maybe… it's the Earth!_

_We are the whole wide world!_"

"It's perfect!" We all laughed. Our activities continued into the night, including sports talk, ghost stories (the entirety of which Alfred clung to my arm like a young child in a thunder storm), and just random chatting. We had all established the basic elements of a relationship by the end of the night. This was something I was going to remember for the rest of my life, as would it be something that I would long for in the long months to come.

**:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):**

The next morning, I was woken up by an enthusiastic yell of "HEY! NEW PEOPLE!"

Who was it, you ask? It was bloody Alfred, of course. At this point, I was ready to rip off his head. But that would certainly make Matt very melancholy, so I couldn't do that, now could I? I grouchily rose, got dressed in black slacks, a red sweater vest, and a white dress shirt. Slipping on my loafers, I walked out of my room and headed downstairs.

As soon as I was in Alfred's sight, the git yelled "The Regulars are coming, the Regulars are coming!", making a reference to our countries' tragic intertwined past. It actually wasn't so obvious; only someone really into history would know that that was the true words Paul Revere had spoken on his legendary ride. Ah, the American War for Independence… If England was a person, I think I'd feel pretty bad for them, being betrayed the way they were by the bloody Americans. Thankfully, Matt batted his head softly, saying something about being rude. I'm liking that boy more and more by the minute!

"Good morning, Matt. _Alfred._" My eyes narrowed at the blonde upon saying his name, causing him to playfully raise an eyebrow. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest, stomach dropping. I swallowed. What was with my reaction?

"Why hello, my good sir!" Alfred hooked an arm around my shoulders, causing the same reaction, only stronger. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks… I ducked out of his grip and ran behind Matt, face burning. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I don't like physical contact is all. _Especially_ not with dumb American blondes, either!" I glared, trying to control my racing heart.

"Whatever, man. I'm going to go greet the newbies. Laters!" he left the room with a wave, much like yesterday.

Matt raised an eyebrow at me after his twin departed. "What?" I asked, somewhat irate.

"Excuse me for asking… but what was that reaction to Al?"

I didn't answer at first. "…I'm really not sure… My body just… reacted. Well, granted, no one's ever done that to me… Throwing their arm around my shoulder like that, that is. My family isn't exactly affectionate."

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. My dad is like that, which is why Alfred takes all the attention he can get. He craves it; he's a very touchy-feely type person. You really get used to it, eh." He smiled, putting a hand on my shoulder. Little did he know that I knew someone like that, and that person was very near and dear to my heart. I shook away the thought, not in the mood to feel depressed.

"But hey, listen, if you ever need to talk, I'm up for it," he continued. "I like listening to people talk!"

I couldn't resist showing my peer a warm smile—one of the ones I usually reserve for Mint and Charles. If it's this kid, I could probably open up a bit... "I think I'll take you up on that offer, sooner rather than later. And, just curious, but how old are you and Alfred?"

Matt immediately reverted to his shyer personality. "We're fourteen."

"Ah, I see. I turned fifteen this April. The twenty-third, actually. What date?"

"I turn fifteen on the second of July. Alfred insisted on changing his birthday to the fourth, eh…" he shook his head, a tiny smile gracing his lips. "He's so strange, but I love him. You know?" I nodded. That's how I felt about Mint. I think of him as a brother. Same with Charles, actually. They've been there as far back as I can remember.

Suddenly, I felt a very… _dark_ presence approach my back side. Goosebumps rippled up my arms at the sheer intensity of it. I turned slowly, a bit afraid of what I'd find. What did I find, you ask? It was a pale-blonde, fair-skinned, giant, purple people-eater. …That was a joke, you know. You were meant to laugh. Way to crush my spirit!

But seriously, this guy was huge. He had to be over six feet tall! He had platinum blonde hair, pale skin, a big nose (that was surprising cute), lavender eyes, and an innocent smile that looked strangely menacing. I sighed my relief. It was just the Russian representative, Ivan Braginski.

"Hello, comrade. My name is Ivan Braginski. You will become one with me, da?"

Matt told me later my expression was precious—a mixture of "confusion, terror, surprise, and creeped-outness, eh". I did softly hit his arm, if you're wondering.

"W-what?"

"You will, da?"

"NO! I won't! I'm a proper English gentleman; I don't join under anyone but my queen!"

"Oh…Then can we be friends?" he smiled as a young child would. My heart immediately softened… For all he seemed a bit scary at first- "I don't think torturing you would be any fun~!"

Never mind.

"Um… We'll be outside." I grabbed Matt's wrist, pulling him along beside me. I turned back to him when we stopped. "If you know what's good for you, stay away from him," I warned. He readily agreed.

We made our way over to the ring around the Chinese representative. Matt, as usual, ran to his brother's side and refused to leave it, so I was forced to join along if I wanted to stay with my friend. Kiku came up on my other side, greeting me with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Arthur-san."

"_Ohayou-gozaimasu, Honda-san_," I answered a bit awkwardly in Japanese.

His eyes widened, only to see him smile even more. "Ah, Arthur-san, I didn't know that you knew Japanese!"

"Yeah. I know a bit… It's mostly from my obsession with RPG, Pokemon, and Naruto when I was younger…" _And now… but I won't tell him that…_

"Ah, that would explain that." Kiku studied my face, and reservedly nodded.

"_Nihao_! I'm Wang Yao -aru!"

Kiku bowed, and introduced himself. Alfred gave almost the same introduction he did for me, only Yao seemed to get what a "fist-touch" was. Matt was… quiet, shy, and respectful in his introduction.

I nodded, extending a hand. "I'm Arthur Kirkland."

"Wang Yao," he nodded back, clasping my hand and shaking it whole-heartedly. The lot of us conversed for a while, until the frog came out.

"Ah, hello, everyone. I believe we have not been properly introduced, _non_?"

"Who'd want to know you?" I raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"A lot of people, back where I come from," he said smoothly. Damn him.

"Sure…" I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms and turning away.

"_Je m'appel_ Francis Bonnefoy. May I get your names?"

"YO! I'm Alfred Jones! 'Sup, man?" Fist-touch. Does EVERYONE know about that but me?

"I'm Wang Yao –aru! Pleasure to meet you –aru!"

"My name is Honda Kiku. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Ludwig Beilschmidt."

"I'm Feliciano Vargas! I hope we can be friends!"

"You already know me," came Eli's call from the back. I saw her fiddling with her frying pan.

"Roderich Edelstein."

"The name's Lovino Vargas. Touch me and die, _bastardo_!" I remembered watching the frog try to molest him before getting on our final flight to the island. I don't blame Lovi at all this time; that bastard wasn't good news.

"M-M-Mathieu Wil-Williams…." was Matt's timid introduction.

Francis's eyebrows rose, teasingly. "Ah, yes, _mon cheri_…" I could hear Matt whimper, burying his head into Alfred's shoulder. Francis turned to me. "And what would your name be, _l'Angleterre_?"

"Arthur Kirkland. Now please leave me the bloody hell alone. Come along, Matt, Kiku. Alfred, you may come as well."

"Heh. Come." I glared Al's maturity level.

We decided to start walking over to Hetalia Manor, instead of taking the car like everyone else. It was too nice out to be cooped up in a mechanical monster. We got into a discussion about music. I stuck by The Beatles faithfully. What? The Beatles are awesome. There's no denying it! Alfred insisted that Justin Bieber, whoever the hell that was, sounded gay, much to Matt's dismay. He liked him, apparently. Alfred's favorite band was Linkin Park. Ha. Kiku seemed to enjoy Gackt, which I immediately seconded.

We reached the manor—which Alfred insisted on calling "the big awesome castle place"—in about forty-five minutes, fifteen minutes before the meeting. We were ushered in by an old man, who only muttered a few words to us. It kinda ticked me off. He didn't even tell us his name!

In the meeting room, there was an enormous table in the center. It was in the shape of a 'U' and the closed end faced a huge window, bordered by maroon drapes. The table opened up to a super-sized smart-board, presumably for presentations. At the head of the table sat a large, dark haired man. The old man sat us down at pre-assigned seats. One by one, everyone filled in. I sat between the girl from Ukraine, Kateryna, and Alfred. The meeting was about to begin!


	4. Chapter 3

**:(:):-(Mathieu's POV)-:(:):**

I was really nervous when I found out I wouldn't be sitting next to Al. Instead, I was sitting between Yao and the girl from Belgium, Bella. Bella ended up being really nice, so we quickly made nice. Smiling at my new friend, I casually brought up the topic of our favorite instruments. When that conversation died, she turned to the Belarusian girl and they starting talking about girl stuff. So, with nothing better to do, I listened into Al and Arthur's conversation. Arthur mentioned his favorite sport was football.

"What? Arthur, you don't really seem like the type…" Alfred said with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur said with the same level of confusion.

"Well, aren't football players typically… bigger?" he smirked, looking the Brit up and down.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Arthur's face had turned bright red. "I'm perfectly normal in the size aspect! I'm taller and thinner than normal, thank-you!"

"…Dude, if you went against—oh, crap… what's that German dude's name?"

"Ludwig," I offered from across the room.

"Oh yeah! Ludwig! Thank you, Mattie! Arthur, you'd get crushed if you went against Ludwig. No question about it."

"But I'm faster than him, and more flexible! I probably have more jump height, and stamina, too."

"Dude, that doesn't matter in football. It's brawn-to-brawn! And I can tell you, you have _none_."

Arthur's mouth formed a little 'o' as if realizing something, and he resettled in his chair. "You're talking about _American_ football. I'm talking about the _International_ term football."

"Oh, you were talking about soccer? Now, I can see you playing soccer… I was having a hard time imagining you in a football uniform…" Alfred let out a little scoff.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU-"

"Alrighty, then! All of you are here now, so let's begin!" the man at the head of the table announced loudly into a microphone. All attention snapped to him. "Now, then... My name is Augustus Caesar, but you shall address me as Professor Rome. I'm your principal here at IYSA. At this meeting, we'll cover introductions, rules, classes, and important information.

"So, first of all, rules. First—obey us instructors. We do things for a reason. Second, be nice to peers. I don't expect all of you to get along, but try to keep it at friendly rivalries. We don't want any injuries. Third, none of you are allowed anywhere but the first and second floors. This is very important, the other floors are either not safe or where myself and the other professors reside. Fourth, do keep up with your assignments. Fifth, have fun! Any questions?" A silent room. Then, Feliciano raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Are we allowed to eat during class?"

"…I suppose so," Principal Rome seemed a bit thrown off by the Italian's strange question. "As long as it's not distracting, go ahead…"

"YAY! PASTA!" the Italian threw out his hand at the mention of his favorite food. Everyone laughed at his antics.

Our principal straightened himself out, and moved on. "Next matter of business: important information. All official offices are on this floor. Classrooms are on second floor. My office is located next to this room. The staircase is located in the main entrance hall. As is a map. You'll all get it eventually. Also—punishment is administered by my vice, Professor Germania.

"Now, for the addressing part of my spiel… All of you will be addressed as your country's name while in the classroom and the manor." There was collective excitement. Hmm. I'm going to need to get accustomed to being called 'Canada'. "Off-duty, you're your actual name. Any questions?"

Arthur raised his hand. Principal Rome gestured for him to ask away. "So, basically put, I'd be called England? Or would I be known as UK? Or Britain?"

"We'll just go with England. That's easier to remember." Arthur shrugged. I guess he really didn't care. Well, he did say he was from the London area…

"And, introductions. Say your real name, country's name, and two interesting facts about yourself. We'll go around the table. Mr. America, you can start!"

"OKAY! Hey everybody! I'm Alfred Jones, but call me 'My Hero' or 'America'! I have a twin brother, and that's Canada! And, ladies—" he winked at the Ukrainian on the other side of Arthur, who blushed. "—I'm single…" the Russian guy, Ivan, I think his name was, glared at Alfred rather darkly.

Arthur stood up. "Hello, everyone. My name is Arthur Kirkland, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You may find it easier to address me as either 'Britain' or 'England'. I enjoy cooking, and I am rather good at football."

The introductions continued, until finally it was my turn. I sighed and rose as Yao sat. "H-Hello, eh. My name is Mathieu Williams, or Canada. I have a pet polar bear named Kumajirou, and I like to pl-"

"Hey, Belgium, it's your turn!" someone stage-whispered. I pouted. I really do have a weak presence. Of course, Kumajirou would choose now to ask "Who?" in a soft voice, only lowering my mood.

"I'm Mathieu… I'm just going to sit down now." I sat. The kids from the Axis building, Al, Arthur, Francis, Yao, Bella, and the representatives of Cuba, Spain, Ukraine, Seychelles, the Netherlands, Greece, and Australia were to only ones who acknowledged me. I sighed again.

We finished introductions about three minutes later. Our language teacher was Professor Magyar, the math teacher was Professor UN (the man who led us inside), the science teacher was Professor Egypt, the Geography teacher was Professor Germania, the history teacher was Professor Britannia, the phys-ed. teacher was Professor Greece, the art teacher was Professor Rome, and the performing arts teacher was Professor Gaul. We all received our schedules upon exiting.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing with the gang. Al ended up going back, saying he was tired. His face was flushed as he rushed past me, and I can only guess why… So, now, Kiku, Arthur, and I sat on the wooden dock that went out over a clear pond, which sat in the middle of a clearing a ways behind our dorms. Said dock was shaded from the smoldering summer sun by a huge apple tree, it's leaves a perfect chlorophyll-green with fat apples hanging off the think branches. I was content and relaxed when Arthur cleared his throat, face a bit flushed, and said,

"Um, so… Hey, Matt, what does it mean when you feel sick to your stomach around a person, feel faint when they do something cute, certain things they do make you giddy, and you can't stop thinking about them?"

I was certainly thrown off balance when Arthur asked that of all things. I paused, thinking, then answered, "Ah, that's love Arthur! Why do you ask?" There was a mixture of horror, self-disgust, mortification, and shock on his face. "Arthur? You okay?"

"...What'd you say?" I could barely hear him utter those words.

"That feeling's called love!" I repeated. And I suddenly felt as if I was as stupid as Alfred. I shouldn't have said that… That probably made him wicked uncomfortable and anxious and all…

"No… I can't… No, it's… I don't…" Arthur muttered to himself, trying to get a handle on his emotions. His head shook back in forth, trying to deny all that went on in there. Kiku and I exchanged concerned looks.

"If I may, Kirkland-san, who is it you are confused about?" Kiku asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. I bit my lip, wondering how he'd react.

"No-one. It doesn't matter. I'll see you guys later." The Brit got up, brushed Kiku's hand away, and ran away from the dock, escaping before I could persist.

"Arth…" his name died on my lips. I sighed. I turned to Kiku. "D-do you like anyone, Kiku?"

"No, but would it not be nice to be in love…?" the Asian boy stared out at the water dreamily, as if day dreaming. He had reassumed his earlier position of lying on his stomach, head propped up in his hands.

"Yeah…" I sighed. A breeze ran through my hair, the soft gush of air relaxing my bursting nerves as it ran through my hair. The cold water lapping over my bare feet was the only thing that kept me from falling asleep. I closed my eyes, peacefully taking in the sound of lapping water, the wind, and birds.

"_Ano_…_Sumimasen_ for asking, but…how did you know how it feels to be in love?" Kiku asked after a long silence.

"My mom. We talked a lot about that kinda stuff… I'm happy that Arthur can feel that way about someone…" I smiled despite all that'd happened. Suddenly, _Francis_ of all people popped into my head as I mused over what my mom told me not two months ago. Why _him_? There was an unfamiliar twisting feeling in my gut. _Argh, I hope this isn't what I think this is…_ I thought.

"I see."

"…Yeah. I have my hunches as to who Arthur likes, but you have to promise you won't tell _anyone._" I looked at him squarely.

"I will not, Williams-_san_! Please, tell me!" His curiosity was piqued, it seemed. "A-ah, I'm sorry, that was a bit out of line. And very rude… _gomennasai_!"

"N-no, it's okay! I wasn't offended at all, Honda-_san_!"

"Oh, _arigatou_…I would hate to do so…you were saying?"

I frowned thoughtfully, then looked him in the eye. "I think he likes Al."

"Why do you say that?" Kiku looked at me, a single eyebrow raised.

"Because… You should've seen him this morning, eh. Al touched him, and he completely flipped out. It was actually pretty funny. I think Al feels the same way, too. He's just too thick to think anything of it." I sighed. "He can be so idiotic sometimes. I have most of the brains…"

"I had figured as much." Kiku admitted.

"So… wanna head back to the dorms?" I asked after about ten minutes of silence.

"Yeah…"

**:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):**

Me'n Al just lazed about and played Mario Party the rest of the day. I managed to get Arthur and Francis to play too! Me and Francis formed one team, while I forced Al and Arthur to be on a team together. I, as usual, was Toad, while Al was Mario for some strange reason—he's usually Bowser or Dry Bones. Arthur was Yoshi, and Francis was Peach… Yeah, I was a bit concerned too. Every time Arthur and Alfred would win a mini-game, the latter would jump up and hug the former. Poor Arthur, he turned all tomato-esque. It was _so_ obvious they liked each other.

That's when I decided to make it my job to get them together, alongside Kiku and Elizaveta. After dinner, we planned the whole operation out, down to the hour! Well, we did, until Francis pointed out a few major flaws—like, how are we supposed to know how they'll react? And Arthur isn't the expressive type, he's _tsundere_, as Kiku put it. For another thing, Al is completely oblivious to everything going on around him. So, the four of us resolved to help when we can, and try not to control it. Boring… I know, you might say "but that's the same thing, right?" Well it's not. It's like tap water and seltzer water—essentially the same, but overall so very different.

By the end of the night, the four of us had forced Al and Arthur to be together in almost everything possible—next to each other at the fireside, next to each other while watching TV, and all that good stuff. Arthur's face was absolutely precious. It was so shy and nervous, and just absolutely adorable. I can't wait for things to get shaken up. What made me wonder, though, was the way that Alfred kept looking at him like he knew a secret about the other that he couldn't tell anyone. There was almost a pained look in his eyes, as if remembering bittersweet memories of the long past. …What? Can't I be poetic? And the only reason why I say so is because I had so many feelings of nostalgia flooding over me from Alfred, it wasn't even funny.

Everyone had gone to bed besides Arthur, Alfred, and myself; I could barely contain my laughter when Arthur fell asleep, nodding off on Alfred's shoulder. Imagine how mortified he would have been if he woke up…! Smiling, I told Al that I was going to go to sleep. Well, that's what I _told_ him. I hid behind the corner and observed them. Man, was I surprised by what Alfred did after watching me leave the room. The most tender, loving smile assumed his lips as he watched the Brit sleep. Suddenly, he bent over. I leaned into watch, pulling my cell out to record. Maple gods above, he kissed him! Al kissed Arthur—on the lips! Oh my maple! And I got it on video! I rushed up the stairs, sending the clip to Kiku and Lizzie. I burst into Francis's room, throwing the door open. He jumped from sleep, looking around for the source of the rather loud noise. He looked pretty pissed… Then he saw me, and his expression immediately softened to a small smile.

"Ah, Mathieu, have you finally decided to succumb to your lust for-"

I rolled my eyes, running over to his side. "Look at this!" I showed him the video. The Frenchman's eyes turned wide, a smirk assuming his lips.

"When did this…?"

"Just now!" I said excitedly. Ah, what was Kiku doing to me? I'm turning into a fangirl… Well, I may as well enjoy this fearlessness while it lasts…

Francis's eyebrows quirked, and he dragged me down on top of him, myself exclaiming my usual 'maple'. Heat flooded to my face. Sigh… Shy again.

"Now, come, _mon cheri_."

"N-no! L-lemme go, you hoser!" I broke free, escaping to my room through our shared bathroom. On my way back, I saw Al putting Arthur in his room. I smiled to Kumajirou. "He really does like him…"

"Who?"

"Mathieu. The one who feeds you…" I sighed, going through my door. I set Kumajirou down in his bed, then turned off the light. I wish that I could feel like that about someone. And I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about a land filled with maple syrup. Those were fun dreams.

**:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):**

The rest of the week was relatively uneventful. We really just explored the island, played sports, and hung around. I could tell that Alfred was getting uncomfortable by the knowing looks that Kiku, Francis, Elizaveta, and I sent him—narrow eyed, accusing smirks. For the most part, he was pretty bashful around Arthur. Poor little Brit, he was completely oblivious to the whole situation… Ha, you shoulda seen his face when he noticed our expressions at them! Dammit, what's happening to me? Back to plot…

Also, we all received nicknames. They came from Kiku, calling us all by our country names in Japanese. One of the most popular ones was "Iggy", Arthur's new nickname. It came from 'Igirisu', the Japanese word for Britain.

And then… the summer solstice came! The thirteen of us hung out around the beach, only for the all of others to join up later. I found that the guy from Cuba, Rico Vasques, and I got along really well. That is, after he figured out I wasn't American. I. Am. Canadian…. Eh.

Our festivities started with an idea from Kiku—watermelon smashing. Alfred immediately jumped on this idea, so I knew I'd have to participate. Well, if I was, I'm dragging Arthur and Francis with me, whether they like it or not! The first step to this was getting the watermelons. Of course my brother would jump on this too. I agreed to come along, and proceeded to find Arthur and Francis, stop their strange brawl (Arthur was wearing a tunic—only a tunic—and Francis was tossing knives concealed in roses at him, which Arthur fended off with this wand that had a golden star on top…), and drag them along behind me all the way over to Al. That is, that's what I wanted to do… I attempted stopping them, but they acted like I wasn't there. I put out my foot and tripped my harasser, causing him to land flat on his face in the sand. Even I was surprised by this sudden burst of confidence.

Arthur collected himself, somehow quick-changed back into one of his typical outfits (same outfit, new colors…), and dragged Francis off to Al for me. The four of us set off with a wagon we found out back, and ran off to Hetalia Manor. We actually made it there in a mere 20 minutes. Well, granted, last time we went on foot we were walking, talking, and constantly stopping to look at things.

Al ran down to the kitchens and got watermelons from the cook, and we all took trips bringing them up. We had to get at least one for everyone… And with 42 of us, we needed 42 of them. I silently thanked the maple gods above that Al worked out all the time—he was unnaturally strong, to the point of freakishness. They were mini-watermelons, for which I was grateful due to Arthur, Francis, and I having to carry three each, as they wouldn't all fit in the wagon.

We returned in about the same amount of time it took to get set up. By the time we were back, everyone had gotten in their bathing suits. Most of the guys wore swim trunks, some with swim shirts. For a reason only the maple gods know, Gilbert was wearing a Speedo. As was Feli. The four of us went back to the house and got changed into our own swimwear. Alfred pestered Arthur about wearing a shirt while swimming, which he did due to his "pale skin"… Of course, Elizaveta, Kiku, Francis and I all knew the _real_ reason. The four of us sent them that look, making Alfred blush and squirm and Arthur confused.

When everyone was ready, we gathered around Kiku who explained the concept. So, the basic idea was to blindfold a person with a bat and have them try to find the watermelon and smash it. We were to pass around the watermelon and call to the person when it comes into our possession (Kiku told me later that it was normally played with the watermelon sitting on a blanket). Something about that smile told me he was plotting something.

First up—Elizaveta. Much to everyone's discomfort, she was using her frying pan instead. Somehow, I came into possession of the melon. I called out to her, ran over to Roderich, and passed it to him. She charged for the Austrian, frying pan raised. I grinned at Kiku. We both knew that she was going back and forth from liking Gilbert to Roderich. Now she was interested in Roderich. And the both of us knew she was bound to do something bold when it was his turn…

After she smashed it while in Francis' possession (she still didn't like him, for all they were fellow fanpeople), it was my turn. I timidly put on the blindfold and took the bat in my firm grasp, and then Alfred spun me 'til I got dizzy. I heard Vash say that he had the watermelon, so I started for his voice. Then, behind me, Chelle—the girl from Seychelles—shouted that it was in her possession. I headed that way. Once again, in the opposite direction, Al proclaimed the watermelon his. Then it was Kiku, Arthur, Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, Gilbert, Roderich, Elizaveta, Lili, Vash again, Francis, Ivan (which I ran away from), Natalia, Katyusha, Eduard, Toris, Feliks, Raivis, Peter, Tino, Berwald, Matthias, Kari, Bjorn, Yao, back to Kiku, Herecles, Sadiq, Gupta, Joey, Yong Soo, Hong, Chun, MeiMei, and then back to Alfred. By then, I was mad. The passing rate was getting faster and faster, and I was just getting more and more tired. Then, by some chance, my random swing of frustration hit something with a "SMACK". I felt something wet and sticky run down the bat and onto my hand. I licked it off the back of my fist. Watermelon juice…? They'd been _throwing_ the watermelon to each other? I removed my blindfold, and looked at the huge welt I'd left in the melon. Everyone was gaping at me.

"Talk about luck…" I heard Al mutter.

The game moved on. Vash was next and got it on Francis' turn, followed by Chelle on Roderich's turn, then Kiku with Herecles, Ludwig with Lovino, Feliciano with Ludwig, Antonio with Gilbert, Lovino with Francis, Gilbert with Berwald, Tino with Peter, Berwald with Tino, Herecles with Sadiq, Gupta with Herecles, Sadiq with Raivis, Ivan with Natalia, Katyusha with Eduard, Toris with Feliks, Feliks with Ivan, Joey with Arthur, Yao with Chun, Chun with MeiMei, Yong Soo with Yao, MeiMei with Bang, Bang with Yong Soo, Bjorn with Chelle, Matthias with Raivis, Eduard with Raivis, Peter with Lili, Kari with Matthias, Lili with Vash, Natalia with Ivan, Alfred with myself, and Francis with Chelle.

Roderich's turn, it was passed around a bit before Lizzie got it. When he came her way, she didn't even budge. He raised the bat as she dropped the melon, followed by her grabbing onto his shirt a kissing him swiftly before dashing behind Kiku. Needless to say, the stuffy Austrian was stunned. He walked back to the garden with a stunned expression, only for Gilbert to follow, most likely just to tease him.

Last one to go was Arthur. It got passed around to everyone, twice, before he really got serious. Alfred claimed the watermelon, and Arthur let out a war cry. The Brit smacked the watermelon in two, bat just barely missing my brother's head. The American let out a little whine at the sticky juice that ran down his hand. Francis muttered something in his ear and he turned bright red. I don't want to know.

My British friend removed the blindfold and he visually brightened at the smashed fruit, beaming. Naturally, Alfred grinned right back, an endearing look in his eyes he probably wasn't aware of. We knew he knew he liked him (wow, that's really confusing **[A/N: Duski, I put that in for you]**), but we weren't sure if he knew he was expressing it. Or if he even knew in which way he liked him. Knowing Al, he probably kissed him upon impulse, and didn't have a clue as to what he was doing. And poor Arthur didn't know. I felt like laughing aloud at the whole situation.

After that, we built sand castles, went boogie/body boarding, wave jumping, and did all manners of random things. While wave jumping (we went up to mid-chest, the water was warm and the waves were HUGE), Lizzie jumped up and met a wave, swam through it and re-emerged—only to find that the top half of her bikini had fallen off. She turned beat red and screamed at all of us to look away, which most of us already had done. Lili, Katyusha, Natalia, Chelle, Chun, MeiMei, Bella, and Feliks helped her retie it securely, and while still mortified, she continued to play in the water with the rest of us. We also buried Herecles in sand. He's a really heavy sleeper, apparently. He didn't waken up even when Kiku dropped his head by accident. He was quickly buried, and we left him there when we went for dinner. Sadiq drew on his face with sharpie, much to Kiku's disapproval. When we went back out, we saw that he'd woken up, and had a blank stare on his face. When Herecles turned his head to look at my Japanese friend, the poor boy immediately melted and helped him out of the hole.

"There's sand in my shorts," the Grecian teen said calmly, and headed for the ocean to wash off once he got out. I couldn't help but notice how red Kiku had turned at his statement.

Later on that night, we had another campfire. Only, it was a huge bonfire on the beach, and all of us were there. Kiku, Elizaveta, Francis and I huddled together a bit farther out from everyone else.

"So, how're we going to get something to happen tonight?" Lizzie asked.

"I am not sure yet, Héderváry-san. But, we will think of something." Kiku answered.

"I've been thinking we should come up with a name for our little squad here, _non_?" Francis randomly inserted. I nodded my agreement, squeezing Kumajirou a little tighter.

"Oh! How about the Fantastic Four?"

"That's plagiarism, Elizaveta," I said quietly.

"Then how about the Fantabulous Four?"

"No."

"Fearsome Foursome?" Kiku suggested.

"That's from Avatar."

"Well, how about we do an acronym. To the tune of J-O-K-E-R?"

"Why joker?" I asked.

"Jo- for Alfred-san's last name, Jones, and -ker for Kirkland, Arthur-san's last name," Kiku explained.

"Oh, okay," I agreed.

"So… what would "JOKER" stand for?"

"Jovial Origami Kids Evolving Rhinoceroses!" Francis immediately shouted.

"That doesn't make any sense…" Lizzie rolled her eyes at him.

"Then, how about… the Juvenile Otaku Keepers of Evolving Relationships?" Kiku offered.

"I like that! But what's an 'otaku'?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot, you people aren't my friends from home… Then how about: the Juvenile Overseeing Keepers of Evolving Relationships?"

"Sounds good!" I said. I liked the prospect of us, the newly named Team JOKER, getting my twin and friend together.

"Now we need a motto!" Francis moved on.

"How about 'let's joke around'?" Elizaveta suggested, a smirk on her face at the terrible pun.

"I like it." Kiku shrugged.

"We are Team JOKER! UNITE!" I shouted, pumping a fist in the air while standing. Oh my god, I can't believe I just _did_ that! The others repeated my actions, gaining us many strange looks from the people around the fire. And so, Team JOKER was formed.


	5. Chapter 4

**:(:):-(Ludwig's POV)-:(:):**

I had been quietly conversing with Feli when loud shouts came from behind us—"We are Team Joker! UNITE!" Most of us jumped, startled at the noise. I decided to ignore them for now.

"-Doitsu, Doitsu, don't you think that Al's been acting weird? Especially around Arthur; he keeps on blushing! It's really weird, don'cha think?"

"Mm," I agreed. His eyes were really stunning. That curl was starting to annoy me too. I'll ask him about it later.

"Doitsu, is something wrong?" Feli asked, prodding my shoulder.

"Huh? No, nothing…"

"…You're acting weird, too…" the Italian frowned at me. I shrugged and stared into the raging fire. I heard Feliciano sigh, and then I felt something warm press against my side. It lifted my arm and rested my elbow on its shoulders, snuggling into my bare chest. "Doitsu, you like me, right? Lovino keeps on telling me you're using me, but you really do care, right?"

For some reason, I couldn't help but smile. I looked down at my friend who was looking up at me with two dark, pleading eyes. "Of course I care, Feli. You're my best friend."

I've never had many friends. People are usually scared off by my brawn and serious demeanor. Feli and I had actually been penpals for the past five years, for a school project back when we were in the fourth and fifth grades. My first friend was really Feli. I found it a little strange that we would both get chosen for this… And that the twins were chosen, and that Feli's older brother was chosen. Don't you think? It just seems a bit too much of a coincidence… Then again, I don't believe in coincidence.

"Thank you, Ludwig… I needed to hear that." I heard my friend mutter. I guess I have a bit of a soft spot for him. And I know that most people would be a bit embarrassed by the position we were in—we were both bare but my swim trunks and his Speedo (he said he felt more comfortable in it), and we were cuddled together like two birds in a nest. He was really warm… That's something I'd never noticed. His breathing was slow and shallow, eyes closed with a blissful and relaxed expression. I couldn't help but smile again. I pulled him onto my lap, tucking his head under chin. My arms encircled his smaller body, protecting him from the world for these fleeting moments. For once, I was relaxed. There's something about this little Italian that does that to me.

Quite honestly, no matter how this might look, we're more like brothers than anything. No sexual attraction at all—none. I'm strait. As an arrow. But I really do like this little guy. For all he may get a bit annoying, is nearly useless, and is just plain strange, I care for him. Sometimes I think I need him more than he needs me… But that really doesn't matter. We're by each other's sides, always.

I looked around at the others. Mathieu, Elizaveta, Francis, and Kiku were chatting amongst themselves, and kept glancing at Arthur and Alfred. Those two were sitting awkwardly next to each other, talking about something. The teens from the Nordic countries were talking with Peter, Toris, Raivis, Eduard, and Feliks. Roderich and Gilbert were murmuring to each other quietly, as Vash wiped a bit of residue of the s'more Lili just ate from her lips. Herecles and Sadiq were about to explode at each other, poor Gupta being the only thing separating them. Lovino was glaring daggers at me and Antonio, as the Spaniard compared him to a tomato. Ivan, Natalia, and Katyusha seemed to be arguing about something animatedly. Yong Soo was claiming Yao's breasts as his own again (I want to say the eighth time today…), while Chun and MeiMei tried to keep Hong from strangling him. Rico, Chelle, and Joey stared at us all. We are pretty original, alright. It's a wonder no-one's shot anyone yet (well, minus the time Vash got his hands on an air soft gun and defended Lili from Francis…).

We're pretty dysfunctional, but we're all like a big puzzle—if one's missing, the picture's incomplete. I honestly don't want this to end. Feli and I spent the rest of the night gazing out at the stars together.

**:(:):-(^-^)-:(:):**

_I heard a scream—what did I do? I ran toward it, naturally. That scream was one I knew all too well. The halls were a never-ending labyrinth, and how I navigated it I'll never know. My footsteps echoed on the cold, black ground, walls seeming to close in around me. My breathing was labored from never stopping for breath, my feet heavy from running for what felt like hours, all due to that haunting screaming, the begging, the pleading, the sobbing... I had to get there. I had to make it stop. I needed to rescue that poor soul, the soul of the one most important to me. I skidded to a clumsy stop in front of the door I heard it all coming from. The door creaked open when I grasped and turned the handle, a scream stopping short. Feliciano… My sweet, precious Feliciano lay limp on the ground, a pool of blood enveloping his small form. The red liquid stained his clothes, and slicked his normally silky auburn locks. Two gorgeous brown eyes, lifeless, stared at the door, mouth open as if in mid-cry, one hand reaching for the exit, a useless attempt for escape. Standing above my beloved Italian was a demon-like man, bulging eyes wild and boney hands covered in blood. His body was grotesque and disfigured, pale skin clinging to bones. He turned to me, and-_

"AH!" I yelped, jolting upright.

"Ve…What's wrong, Doitsu…?" Feli sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. As usual, the Italian had snuck into my bed at sometime last night. A wave of relief crashed over me. Feliciano was okay. I pulled him into my arms, holding him tightly against me, making him jump. "Ve! Doitsu?"

"Nightmare," I muttered.

"Oh, I see…" he smiled warmly at me, brushing a tuft of sand-blonde hair out of my face tenderly. He cupped my face in two dainty hands. "Well, everything's okay now, Doitsu. None of it was real." He pressed our foreheads together, laughing lightly. "I'm here, and everything's alright!"

I smiled at my best friend. All of the fear had washed away at his words. But even that nightmare had been preferable to the dream I'd had the other night… I didn't want to think of that. Right now, I just wanted to hold onto my little Italian for a while. Taking in the flowery scent of his hair, his soft skin, his calm breathing, his happy expression. After seeing that… I needed to calm myself. Feliciano wrapped his arms around my neck and sat on my lap, legs straddling my waist while putting his head on my shoulder. We just stayed like that for a while—him cuddling up to me and myself embracing him—until the sun rose. Of course, I wasn't embarrassed—this happens almost every morning. Either Feli or I will have a nightmare, or there'll be a thunderstorm, or Lovino will try to convince poor little Feli that I hate him… Honestly, I was used to this position. It's like holding a loved one's hand—it's natural, and feels safe and right. Finally, I sighed, and proposed getting up. Both of us got dressed for the day, and headed downstairs.

Roderich was already up, playing the "Blue Danube" on the piano accompanied by Francis's violin and Kiku's flute, while Elizaveta and Lovino practiced dancing. Feli quickly grabbed his guitar and started strumming to the tune. I smiled as I started everyone's breakfast. I finished our breakfasts just before Gilbert came down.

"Good morning world! Say hello to the awesome me!" he declared upon coming in the kitchen. He spotted Lizzie and Lovi, cutting in and whisking Elizaveta away. The fickle young girl blushed, while Lovi glared daggers at the Prussian. He grabbed his tomato sandwich and headed out the backdoor, most likely to see Antonio.

Feliciano ran over to get his breakfast, and sat down next to me. He smiled at me and looked at me with a look I couldn't begin to describe… It was seductive, sexy, and—I hope I'm wrong—but almost _lewd_, all the while being somehow innocent. My face heated up at that _look_, one that certainly wasn't the way Feli should be looking at me. We're just friends… Right? We _are_ only friends! That's right! Nothing more! Hahaha! ….What is this doing to me?

I tried to ignore the way he stared at me all morning. Eventually, we all decided to play some football outside. Francis managed to convince the rest of the Allies Dorm to play with him against us. The Allies won, in the end. Then, all of us had a picnic lunch.

We laid out two enormous red and white checkered blankets, securing the edges with rocks and our shoes. The site we chose was in the shade of an apple tree by a pond. Antonio, at some point, had joined us, and sat down next to a napping Lovi. The poor Italian was unaware that his head was currently on the lap of his least favorite—or most favorite—Spaniard, who stroked his hair lovingly, a soft smile on his lips. My Italian, on the other hand, was splashing around in the pond with Alfred, Matt, Lizzie, Kiku, and Gilbert. I looked at the three relaxing teens next to me. Arthur was lying on his stomach, head propped up on his hands. He stared intently at Alfred, eyes glazed in thought. Roderich was curled up on his side, reading a book. Francis stared at Mathieu, a glimmer in his eyes akin to the look that Feli gave me this morning. Ivan and Yao were chatting about something, both giggling in unison at times. I never thought I'd see Ivan get along with someone… let alone Yao… those two seemed to hate each other. I was honestly surprised at Yao—the teen, though spunky, was usually cold to Ivan. Must be the air.

Suddenly, Arthur got to his feet. He turned around, and started for the tree. First thing he did was grab one of the lower branches, swinging himself up onto the thick limb. I didn't know that he had so much strength in his arms… The Brit kept climbing, heaving his lanky body up branch by branch. Soon, he was completely hidden by leaves. I shrugged, returning my attention to the manga Kiku lent me. A few minutes later, something wet dripped onto the page. I froze—what exactly was Arthur _doing_ up there? Tentatively, I looked up, to see a bright, beaming Italian face. Sighing relief, I frowned.

"Feliciano, what are you doing?"

"What'cha readin', Doitsu?" he asked.

"A manga Kiku gave me," I responded, showing him the cover. "It's called Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. The story's actually pretty interesting... It's about a girl named Sakura and a boy named Syaoran and…" that's when I noticed he was no longer paying attention. I swear to god, that boy has the attention span of a squirrel… He was already running over to Kiku, shouting something about ramen… A shadow passed over me. Alfred had walked past, and started to climb up the tree. I didn't want to know. Those two have been acting weirder and weirder lately. And progressively awkward to be around. I put the book down, leaning back on the tree and closing my eyes.

Something wet plopped down on my lap, slender arms folding behind my neck. Feliciano's face was dangerously close, making my face burn red. This was _normal_ for Feli—why was I getting all embarrassed?

'_Maybe because you care for him more than normal...'_ A little voice in back of my head taunted. I told it to shut up.

"Hey… What was Doitsu's nightmare about?" Feli asked. I'd almost forgotten about it, until he said that…

"Nothing, Feli. I don't remember," I lied, looking away. The thought of it haunted me.

He obviously wasn't convinced, but nonetheless he smiled. "That's too bad, I wanted to know…"

"If I remember later, I'll tell you," I said off-handedly. He grinned.

"Yay!" he kissed my nose. I blushed. Again. "Hey, hey guess what?"

"What?"

"I really, really like you, Doitsu," he looked at me seductively again, more so than this morning. I gulped. "Does Doitsu like me?"

"Y-yes, I suppose I do, Feli. I like you," _As a friend,_ I added silently.

"Good." He rested his head on my chest. His breathing slowed, and I could feel him eventually fall asleep. About an hour later, we headed back inside.

Eliza and Gilbert decided to have a Wii Sports showdown. It ended up being a tie. So, the Hungarian girl went for the win by chasing Gilbert all around the island. We didn't see them back till about nine.

Somehow, someone slipped alcohol into Kiku's tea (I figured it was Gilbert), and the boy was completely delirious. He randomly challenged Feli to Rock Band, immediately calling singer. They chose a custom track, God Knows by Hirano Aya. Kiku showed the lot of us a side we thought we'd never see of him… He was an animal! _Mein gott_, he was hyper on a level _Feliciano_ hadn't even reached. Even Arthur—who had already gotten drunk four times, taking advantage of there being no set drinking age here—was shocked at the boy. It was scary, and WAY out of character.

Suddenly, the brunette jumped up from behind the couch, hooking his arms around both Alfred and Arthur, squishing them together. "You know… You two look simply ADORABLE together!" he said cheerily. Both blondes blushed. "I mean, really! Elizaveta, don'cha think it'd be really damn _hot_ if they went at it?" he giggled. Alfred and Arthur turned even redder—if that was even _possible_—and tried to squirm away from both the other and Kiku.

"Hey, hey, no running away! Really!" Kiku bore a huge pout on his face. Angrily, he pulled Alfred back with a burst of strength, and pushed him onto the poor little Brit. Arthur yelped and ran for the door, fleeing to some unknown place. Sighing, I imagined what it must be like for Arthur. I mean, though it's obvious to most of us how he feels for Alfred, Alfred surely isn't aware. People are constantly thrusting them together (namely Kiku, Mathieu, Elizaveta, and Francis), and never giving the boy peace. If someone did that to me and someone I liked… I'd have snapped after the first two days. Eventually, we—me and Roderich, that is—decided on knocking Kiku out and locking him in his room where he couldn't hurt anyone. That boy needs his composure.

The night winded down watching _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_. I have to say, that movie was awesome. I would've enjoyed that a lot more if Feli hadn't been staring at me from my lap the entire time. Nonetheless, I did rather like it. One by one, we all headed up stairs. Feli decided to stay up for a while. That's when it hit me—Lovino was missing… Whatever, where ever he is he's with Antonio. Wait, shouldn't I be worried then? Oh well… The worst the Spaniard could do is rape him, and I don't think Lovi would completely object to that.

As I lay down to sleep, I reflected on my day. Over all, it'd been pretty normal. And that was about to happen again… Great.

**:(:):-(The Next Day)-:(:):**

"THERE you guys are!" Gilbert shouted, running to us in a wild fashion.

Counting Gilbert, there were twenty-seven of us in the field. What all of us were doing there… I don't know. I was just hanging out with Feliciano, Roderich, and Elizaveta. Kiku, though usually hanging out with us, 'Team JOKER', or Arthur, Alfred, Francis, and that kid from Canada… Oh, what was his name…? Oh yeah! Mathieu! Kiku, though usually hanging around with us, Team JOKER, or Arthur, Alfred, Francis, and _Mathieu_, was actually gazing at the clouds next to Herecles. Al, Arthur, Francis, and Matt were playing what looked like a game Alfred and Matt had taught all of us-Crocadili. Basically, it went "Crocodile, Crocodile, oh my my, I see a twinkle, twinkle in your eye, Follow, follow, Follow, follow, follow! One, Two, Three, Four, Five!" **1** That big guy from Sweden, Berwald, was picking flowers with the Fin, Tino. His excited calls of "Su-san, Su-san!" rang throughout the meadow. Vash, the Swiss kid, accompanied them for the sake of Lili, who he didn't let anywhere out of his sight, besides at night. That we know of. Eduard, Raivis, Toris, Feliks, Peter, Katyusha, Natalia, and Ivan were… what _were_ they doing? Oh, okay… They were just playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Natalia had tackled a very terrified Ivan to the ground. Yikes. Yao was running away from YongSoo, who was trying to claim him again. Antonio fell asleep under a tree, and Romano—or Lovino, but now everyone calls him Romano—soon followed him. The two were napping side by side, leaning on each other, head resting on the other 's perfectly.

Gilbert was excited about _something. _He was practically jumping up and down, the kid…"So, hey, let's go play in the Big Castle Place!" Apparently Alfred wasn't the only one who called it that. Hm.

"Why? Wouldn't we get in trouble?"

"Nah! We won't get caught! Why don't we play hide-and-go-seek! No, wait, Sardines!"

"YEAH!" Alfred jumped up, and ran over to the albino, dragging a startled Arthur behind him. They were closely followed by Mathieu and Francis. The others looked around for an answer, and most eventually consented on joining in. Soon there was a large group of people standing in front of the beaming Prussian.

In twenty minutes we were at the Manor, sneaking in through the back. I honestly don't know why I agreed to come along. Oh yeah, Feliciano wanted to go. Which translates to—Feliciano glanced at me with two huge amber puppy-dog eyes, and told me that he wanted to go. I felt too guilty, so I agreed. We split up into two teams: myself, Feliciano, Romano, Antonio, Francis, Gilbert, Roderich, Elizaveta, Ivan, Natalia, Katyusha, Vash, and Lili versus Alfred, Arthur, Kiku, Mathieu, Peter, Yao, Herecles, YongSoo, Feliks, Toris, Raivis, Eduard, Tino and Berwald. Our team was counting first. I took notice of the sly looks that Mathieu and Kiku swapped with Francis and Eliza. I don't want to know.

These were the rules established:

No leaving the Big Castle Place!

Locking doors isn't allowed, unless there is another entrance to the room that isn't a window.

You can hide in groups.

To capture someone, you must tag them.

Once you capture someone, they must accompany you back to 'Jail'.

You can get out of Jail if someone tags you out (Good luck with that)

When everyone on one side is in 'Jail', the game is over.

And with that, the game began. The lot of us counted to 100 in unison, and then we started to look around. Feliciano said he knew where Herecles was hiding, so I followed him all the way across the place to the sunroom. And there he was, napping on a futon in the sun. We tagged him with ease.

"YAY! We captured Watermelon!" We call Herecles Watermelon because his last name, Karpusi, is Greek for watermelon.

He happily followed us to 'Jail', the Study Hall. We captured YongSoo and Yao on the way, who gave themselves away due to YongSoo's pursuits and Yao's frantic shrieking of Mandarin. We handed them off to the Ivan and Natalia, who kept guard. Feliciano and I joined up with Antonio and Romano, who had already captured Peter and Raivis. After much difficulty, we managed to get a hold of Berwald and Tino, who had—very stealthily—avoided us for almost an hour. When we returned, we found that Feliks and Toris had been captured as well, through Vash, Lilli, and Katyusha's combined efforts. Roderich and Gilbert showed up almost immediately with a defeated Eduard, who had weaseled his way around us somehow. All there was left to find was Mathieu, Kiku, Alfred, and Arthur. And, to add, no one had seen Francis or Elizaveta. Well, until Lili spoke up.

"Actually, while I was trying to disarm some of Feliks' booby-traps, I saw Elizaveta and Francis run by… We traded greetings. But what was weird was that Mathieu and Kiku were following them closely. I wanted to capture them, but I decided Feliks and Toris were harder prey," she said shyly.

Understanding sparked in Gilbert's eyes, and mine must have right after. That would explain where the hell they'd gone. And with that, we disbanded and searched the manor for the missing people, trying to spare Arthur and Alfred of mental scarring.

**:(:):-(Kiku's POV)-:(:):**

When the others started counting, I dragged Mathieu behind me as I tore through the halls. The two of us had made plans on the way here to meet up in the adjoined greenhouse. Within five minutes, Francis and Lizzie stumbled into the room, Francis's arms filled with a bulky bag. I knew that Elizaveta probably made him take it for her.

"So, Kiku, what's the plan?" Eliza asked excitedly.

"Well, at the moment, I think we need to establish a room with a bed and windows… a couch could substitute, though," Francis answered for me. I nodded.

"_Hai_! Then we should set up your cameras, _Hangari-chan_. Then, _Kanada-kun_, _Furansu-san_, and I will usher them into the room. _Hangari-chan_, could you close the door and bust it shut? And make sure to lock the windows. You have the choice to stay in the room or leave and accompany us outside via an exit we shall secure. Does that sound like a solid game plan?" My three fellows nodded.

That's when we started to run through the halls. Thanks to Francis memorizing the layout of the large building, the rest of Team JOKER and I arrived at a room suitable to our needs shortly thereafter.

Ah, why do we need a room with a bed/couch, with cameras set up in it? To force some yaoi in this place! All four of us know very well that Arthur and Alfred like each other, but won't admit it. So, we're going to lock them in a room together, to force some confessions out of them! Now, we're pretty sure this'll work, thanks to some information Mathieu gave me. Apparently, when in a confined space with another person, there's a 25/25/25/25% chance that Alfred will either try to annoy, express his feelings, joke around with, or completely ignore whoever he's with, depending on how he feels about the person. With Arthur, it could go any way. I was praying for the second option, and with good results.

Within an hour, we had everything set up. Now, we needed to locate them. But not only had we set up cameras, Eliza had somehow figured out a way to take out the door handle, and make it so the locking side was on the outside. Once they were in, only we could let them out. She had the only key. I couldn't help but evilly chuckle. My reason: I could tell that something was going to come of this, though maybe not a good something.

Now, to find Alfred and Arthur. Francis and Mathieu said they thought they knew where they were, so we followed them through the place. We passed Lilli on the way, disarming what looked like a bomb. She offered a little wave to Lizzie and Francis, and looked a bit conflicted as to whether or not she should go after me and Mathieu. To my relief, she decided the task on hand was more important and ignored us. We caught scent of the Brit and American when a few noises gave them away.

"…d you be quiet? We're going to get caught!" came Arthur's hushed voice. It came from an upcoming hall.

"Yeah, but it's so hard to stay quiet! I wanna talk!" I heard Alfred whine in response.

"Then talk in your head!"

"That's not talking, that's thinking!"

"Same difference!"

"Same thing."

"Whatever."

"You know you love me~!" He had no idea how true that was.

"Sh-shut up, you bloody git!" You could practically hear the panic in his voice.

"Aww, you're blushing!"

"SHUT UP!"

"If we were the other team, you would be caught by now," I informed them, turning the corner. Their backs were pressed against the wall, looking the opposite way, as if they'd been carefully navigating their way through out the place.

"AH!" they both yelled, startled.

"Really, eh… You should be glad there aren't any pairs in this area," Mathieu added, coming up next to me.

"Who?" cooed that little bear in his arms.

"Mathieu!" he said, seemingly a bit irritated. The Canadian huffed, and brushed both his _ahoge_ and a few stray strands of hair out of his eyes and glasses.

"Thank god it's only you guys…" Alfred sighed.

"Really, I hope that no one **heard that**," I added extra emphasis on the last two words—they were Eli and Francis's cue.

"Actually, we did, _mon ami_," said Frenchman turned the corner at the other end of the hall, the head of the rose in his hand resting against his lips.

Lizzie soon appeared to his right a smirk gracing both of her light pink lips. "And now, to capture all of you." I feigned surprise, then 'snapped' into attention.

"_Ano…ikuze_! _Kanada-kun_, lead them to our base! I'll hold them off!"

"'Kay!" Mathieu took hold of both boys' arms. "Let's go!" They took off towards the room.

"A job well done, _mon cher_! _L'Amerique_ and _l'Angleterre_ will be progressed in their relations by the end of tonight!"

"Well done, _Furansu-san_. Now, let's go!" I took off after Mathieu, and I could hear the other two chase me. Eventually, I caught up with them (I'm pretty fast, thank you), leaving Francis and Elizaveta in the dust.

"Hey!" Alfred-kun said, breathless.

"Salutations," I responded.

His expression was a quizzical one. "What?"

"Never mind…"

We rounded one of the last corners, the door now in sight. "There!" Mathieu shouted. "In, in!" he ushered both of them inside the room. Elizaveta suddenly popped up, slammed the door shut behind them and locked it.

"Wha- BLOODY HELL! LET US OUT!" Arthur tried to open the door, to no avail.

"Ah, _gomenasai_! There is no key! We shall go look for one…" And that was our cue to run back to the adjoined greenhouse to watch what happens on our monitors. All of us were in our seats before anything happened.

**:(:):-(Alfred's POV)-:(:):**

I watched as Arthur sighed, sliding down the wall, and landing in a sitting position. God, was he gorgeous, with that little pout and grumpy disposition. He'd changed a lot in the years I was gone… But, nonetheless, I loved this Artie too. I actually think I like the current him more…if that's possible. The look on his face was so adorably precious, I just wanted to ravish him right there… Instead, I walked over to his side and sat down next to him, staring into those ageless green eyes. Soon, his gaze met mine, and we held the contact for what seemed to last an eternity. When he looked away, I couldn't resist but giggle. Finally breaking the silence, I asked a question.

"Hey, Iggy?"

"Hn?" he looked at me again, but avoided my eyes.

"When you look at someone, do you feel funny?" I began, trying to get some answers out of the kid. I was more than aware of how I felt, truthfully, but… he doesn't know that. "And when you're away you're all obsessed with them? Because I'm like that around someone…I was just wondering if I was crazy."

Arthur turned slightly red. "You're not crazy… I feel that way too, I guess." He looked away from me, the flush darkening.

"About who?" I leaned in, brow furrowed in concern. Oh, god did I hope it was me.

"I… uh, that is…" After turning even _redder_, Arthur leapt to his feet and ran over to the bed. The covers were thrown over his head, hiding my baby Brit from view. How cute!

A light pink colored my cheeks, I knew, as I followed him over. I sat down next to him, leaning back on my hands. "Because… I feel like that about you, Arthur." I pulled the blankets off of his head, pushing him down on the pillow. And, I kissed him. Like, _really _kissed him. I don't know _why_ I did, but I did.

My lips were pressed to his, soon becoming impatient by the lack of friction. I traced the curves of his lips with my tongue, the fleeting licks making Arthur frustrated. He quickly caved to my unspoken request, parting his lips for me. Excited by his cooperation, I deepened the kiss.

"Nngh… Alfred…" Arthur moaned. His hands gripped the back of my head, pulling me in deeper as two wet muscles met in a battle dance, neither willing to back down. And then, he realized what was happening. "Mmph- Alfred!" he kicked me off.

"W-we shouldn't…" Arthur shook his head. "It's wrong…"

"Why is it wrong?" my eyes narrowed, and I knew I was looking a bit hurt. "I love you, Arthur. I know its cliché, but I've loved you ever since I met you. You're like my drug—you're addicting, and you make me delusional, and feel giddy, sad, and just plain strange. I nee-"

"Stop it." Arthur looked away, tears welling up in his eyes. "Just stop. We can't. It's not right." I could do naught but watch as he broke my heart by opening the nearest window and slipping through it.

"Arthur…" I whispered, knowing that I myself was in the beginning stages of a long, hard cry. Great.

**:(:):-(Kiku's POV)-:(:):**

Silent shock enveloped the occupants of the room.

"I'm… gonna go check on Al," Mathieu told us before running back to the room.

"So am I." Elizaveta ran after him.

I looked over to Francis. "…Let's go check on _Igirisu-san_." He nodded, and followed me back to the dorms.

I hoped he was okay.

**:(:):-(Arthur's POV)-:(:):**

I found my refuge underneath the blankets of my bed. I hadn't thought to lock the doors, but I hoped that if anyone thought to come in, they'd leave if I asked. My chest hurt from crying so hard, and I really, really wanted to stop crying, but I couldn't… I let out a rather loud sob and buried my face into my pillow. That stupid Yank…! Why the hell'd he have to go and do that? I-I don't l-love him…Oh, who am I kidding? I've fallen, and fallen hard. Why else would I kiss back?

I hate this. It's so wrong, and unnatural, and what would _she _say to this? It's not fair to her if I'm running around with someone else…I mean, what if she does come back? I love her, too… A-

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard someone quietly enter the room. "_Igirisu-san_? _Daijoubuka_?" Kiku's voice asked in Japanese. Daijoubuka… I'm pretty sure that means 'are you alright?'.

I tried to speak. "Kiku, *hic* I'm sorry, but *sniffle* could you leave me alone right now?" In all honesty, I wanted him here, at least as a comforting presence. But I couldn't bother him like that…And besides, I'm used to crying alone. It's not like anyone besides _her _has ever cared for me.

"No, I'm afraid I cannot." I felt Kiku sit down next to me. A small, delicate hand ran soothing circles over my upperback, calming my emotions until I was no longer sobbing so hard. I could breathe again… "What is wrong?"

"Alfred's wrong," I sniffled. "He- he-" I stopped talking to breathe, unable to get the words out. I couldn't think of anything to say but… "ALFRED YOU IDIOT~!" and the tears were renewed. Marvelous.

"Hush, hush, _mon ami_," Francis walked in, sitting on the other side of me, "If it's _l'amour_, everything will turn out fine."

I tried to glare at him, to no avail. I'll bet it just looked like I was squinting; so I tried another tactic. "G-go away, s-stupid *sniffle* f-frog…"

"We may say we hate each other most of the time, _l'Angleterre_, but when it comes down to it, we're actually friends, _non_?" I could _feel _his disgustingly sugar-coated smile. It left a strange, unsettling feeling in my chest.

"Shut *hic* up," was my pathetic response. Someone shifted on the bed, and pulled me out from under the covers. I made a weak protest, but I cut myself off when I found that it was infact _Kiku _who had pulled me into a tight embrace. Losing my resolve, I sobbed into his chest, letting out the remaining tears that I needed to get out of my system. Francis moved to our side and put an arm around the two of us, rubbing his thumb in circles over my shoulder. I felt myself start to relax, my emotions calming down once again.

Though he's usually a total pervert who molests everything he sees, I've noticed that every so often Francis will turn into a fatherly figure, or a really good friend when need be. I mainly saw it when he was around Chelle (the girl from Seychelles), as he would watch over her and make sure she didn't get into trouble. Then there were those times where he would be Mathieu's support in an argument... I guess this is one of his brotherly times. For once, I was grateful that Francis was there. Sure, he may be a bit perverted, uncouth, and sporadic, but he's a good friend…for all he's a froggy bastard.

"Why don't you talk about it?" Kiku's soft, smooth voice spoke once more, "I know you like _Amerika-san_, so why did you push him away?"

I regained most of my composure, and sat up. I didn't see the point in denying it now, anyways… "See, *sniffle* it all started when I was around six years old…

**:(:):-(Ooh, Lookie! An Annoying Flashback!)-:(:):**

_Hearing someone at the door, I ran from my room, down three sets of stairs, and through many hallways to reach the front entrance of my family's mansion. Maybe it would be someone interesting, like Uncle Jean-Filipe from France! I came to a stop at the corner of the hall, peering into the foyer curiously._

_ My parents stood at the door, talking to some blonde man. Not like Uncle Jean-Filipe, but close to that color. And he was too tall to be him… Suddenly, the adults started laughing, making me jump and fall out of my hiding spot. I hissed in pain, hitting my elbow, but quickly climbed back to my feet and walked over to where my parents stood._

_ "Oh, Arthur!" Mum said, smiling. "We were just about to call for you."_

_ She lead me towards the door with one hand on my back, and knelt down to my level. "Artie, this is Allie! She's your father's friend's daughter, and she lives next door now!"_

_ There stood a young blonde girl, my age or a bit younger, who looked excited and bubbly. She was dressed in Equestrian riding attire, clothes a bit mussed and most of her hair covered by a riding helmet._

_ "Hello! My name is Allie Williams, I'm from Canada, and I'm five years old (almost six)!" she beamed, extending a hand for me to shake._

_ I politely smiled and took it. "Hullo. M'name's Arthur Kirkland. I'm six and a half years old. Pray tell, do you ride?"_

_ "Horses? Yeah! Do you?" I nodded. "Cool! My horse is named Liberty. She's at our house over there," she pointed to a Victorian style house to the right, where I could see a large black horse grazing in the field behind said house._

_ "Ah, I see! My horse is named Peachblossom! He's a strawberry-roan gelding (_**A/N: That's horse talk for a red male horse**_)! Want to come out back and see him?"_

_ "Sure!" We took off for the stables, where we saddled up and went for a trot._

**:(:):-(End Annoying Flashback)-:(:):**

"…I hung out with her for about three years. She was a tomboy, really. We were always riding our horses, or making houses for fairies, or having some sort of war out in the woods. And when we talked, we would talk about my older brothers and her brother Matt. The way we played, and talked, and just _everything_ was as if we were made for each other. She would call me 'Artie', causing my parents and older brothers to do the same. I really did love her… I still love her. She kissed me once…" I sighed, remembering that day.

"What happened to her?" Kiku gently urged me on.

"One day, she just never came back. She never said good-bye, and I haven't heard from her since. She just… disappeared. I found out after she left that she'd moved to America… My mom never gave me any of her contact info either. She was just… gone. I still feel betrayed and hurt. I don't want it to happen again…"

"Oh, I get it." Francis straitened up, looking at the Brit with a smirk. "You feel in love, and when something happened, she disappeared. So now you're scared to be in love, because you don't want to get hurt again. And you're still in love with _Mademoiselle Allie_, _non_?"

I nodded reluctantly, confirming wino's suspicion. "It's just, the second I met Al… something clicked. It was like I'd found something I was missing. I had guessed I was in love, but I wasn't sure…"

"Well, if it helps, all of us here are struggling with figuring out who we are." Kiku smiled. "That is why we are here, right? This place is not only the land of smart and/or talented teenagers. This is a place to find out who we are and what we want to do with our lives to improve the world. So don't rush yourself to do things; if you love both of them, figure out a way to either get over one, or make a compromise."

"True, true. Thanks for that, Kiku. That makes me feel a little better." I smiled, and gave him a hug around the neck. My embrace was welcomed by a friendly pat on the back.

**:(:):-(Kiku's POV, That Night)-:(:):**

Team JOKER and I discovered something very interesting that night from Mathieu and Elizaveta after they heard Igirisu-san's story.

"When we were little," Mathieu started, "other boys used to pick on Alfred because he had longer hair. Eventually, he just introduced himself as Allie, and went as a girl. When we were around nine, though, he moved to America after the divorce, and posed as a boy again. He even cut his hair, but he wouldn't tell us why. Back then, both of us used our mother's surname, Williams, instead of our father's, because our name was hyphenated and Alfred wanted his initials to be the same as a root beer brand..."—he sighed—"So when he moved to America, he almost completely changed. His name, his look, even his attitude went from proper yet silly to rambunctious and boisterous. Something happened while we lived in England that he wanted to forget about…" He looked at all of us, determined. "And that something was a relationship with Arthur."

"So Allie Williams is really…" Francis stopped, looking for confirmation.

"Alfred Jones, my brother," Mathieu nodded.

"We have to tell them!"

"_Non_, that would make things worse," Francis cut in, "I think _l'Amerique_ knows that _l'Angleterre_ is the same 'Artie' from his childhood, but is afraid to say anything."

"That's true," Mathieu said.

I nodded in agreement. "They need to patch up their relationship _then_ before they resolve this little issue at hand. Come along, we have to see _Amerika-san._"

"But I thought-"

"We will, but I need that confirmed in order to hatch my plan. If we can, we need to recruit him onto our team, too."

"Invite the 'Jo' in JOKER to join our team? Why?"

"You will see in the near future…" I said with a smirk, then turned and walked out the door.


	6. Chapter 5

**:(:):-(Kiku's POV)-:(:):**

"_America-san_, can I talk to you? It's about earlier today." A small 'hn' was my only response. This kid was really depressed. I had sent the others off to find rope, paint, a wig, a laptop, scissors, girly clothes, fabric, a towel, cosmetics, and nail polish. Basically, I told them to raid Feliks' room. And I told them to find one of my cats. Like I did with Arthur, I sat down next to Alfred. But this time, he glomped me to the ground.

"Kikuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~…" Al whined. "Why's Iggy so cruel to me? I was just trying to show him how I feel because I suck at words, and then he just started kissing back, so I was happy, and then he pushed me away and said that I was weird, and then he started crying, and now he's all mad at me-eee…. KIKUUUUUUU!" he cried.

"It's okay, Allie-chan," I said, making an obvious hint to the past. "I'm sure everything will work out fine."

"…What'd you just call me?" he looked at me with a blank stare, surprise evident on his face. "How'd you know about Allie?"

"Mathieu-kun."

"Damn," he cursed, looking away. "Then I'm guessing you figured out that I know Iggy is Artie, right?" He looked a bit wistful. I nodded; he sighed. "I was just hoping that he'd realize it too… I've loved Iggy ever since I was little, so when I got to see him again, all grown up and like he is now, I was ecstatic. But… he doesn't remember me…"

"It's because you're Alfred Jones, and the one he remembers is Allie Williams. I have a plan, though. If you'll cooperate, maybe we can fix you and him up."

"I'll do anything!"

**:(:):-(After Reconnecting and Putting Our Plan Into Action)-:(:):**

"Correction—anything but this."

"Oh c'mon! That outfit would, like, totally look cute on you Alfred!" Feliks said. Somehow, he found out about our association and now was one of our JOKER operatives. Two new additions in one day… "And plus, you used to, like, do this when you were little, right? So this should, like, totally be no problem!"

"But I was little back then… I didn't know the difference…"

"This is for, like, Arthur! It's all, like, totally in the name of love!"

"Fine, fine… Go ahead… If it's for Artie…" Alfred let out a defeated sigh.

An hour later, we had him in a lavender short-sleeved sweater, a short jean skirt, black leggings, black heels, and a black beret, courtesy of Elizaveta and Feliks. Not only that, but the two of them had placed the extensions so well you could hardly even tell they were extensions. They'd also done his make-up (blush, foundation, concealer, eye-liner and –shadow, toner, lipstick, lip gloss, glitter [much to his dismay] and masquera), and painted his nails a plum color. They'd also done a meticulous job on shaving off all hair on his face, underarms, and legs, and making sure that his fake bosom looked real. When they pushed him out of Feliks' bathroom, all of us men were trying to pick our jaws off of the floor.

"Um… does it look that bad…?" Alfred asked in a girly tone, much akin to the way Asahina Mikuru from Haruhi Suzumiya spoke.

"Al… You look amazing…" Mathieu responded.

"_Trés beau!_" Francis clapped twice, and then turned critical over the whole of it. "Shoulders back, chest out. Lean on one hip, and either cross your arms or put your hands on your hips. Good. Now, pout a bit, raise an eyebrow, and smirk. No, like… There you go! Now he looks like a real girl, _non_?"

"Damn strait he does!" Elizaveta looked her piece of art up and down. "I think I'm going to cry… Alfred, you make an excellent girl. I'm so glad you're a bit androgynous in your looks, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible."

"So, um… What do I do now?"

"Okay, we are going to set up a web-link between you and _Igirisu-san_, so it will be through a webcam. You can explain everything you need to, like why you moved, and what happened and everything." I nodded to the laptop we'd set up. "_Kanada-san _sent _Igirisu-san _an email a few minutes ago, and your email will be there too, along with an invite to video-chat. Go sit down, and we will put the final steps in motion. Once that camera is on, it is all up to you." I then turned to Matt. "I need you to go tell _Igirisu-san _to check his email because you sent him something. Fast as you can. But make it look casual, okay?"

He nodded and ran off to complete the assigned task.

"What do we do?" Francis asked, gesturing to Elizaveta, Feliks and myself.

"We sit and wait for news along with 'Allie' here." I sighed, sitting down in a fuzzy lavender saucer chair with sliver sparkles. It was surprisingly comfortable. I pulled out my DSi and began to play.

**:(:):-(Alfred's POV)-:(:):**

Oh, lord, did I hate this. I mean, when I was little it was okay because I didn't know the difference, but now… Just ugh. How do girls wear make-up? It's so hot under all of it, and it's SO hard not to touch my face. I was spinning around in Feliks' office chair in boredom.

A knock came at the door. "Feliks, are you in there?" It was Toris, the representative of Lithuania.

"Like, Liet! Yeah, I'm, like, totally in here! Come in, come in!" the Pole threw open the door, despite my protests. Arthur was bad enough, but my new friend too? That's just low. I leaned back in the chair and sighed. I wanted to face-palm so badly, but I didn't because it would ruin my make-up…

"Um… Feliks, why're Kiku, Elizaveta, and Francis here?" he turned to me. "And who's that?"

"See, I'm working my magic to, like, help get Iggy and 'Merica together! Like, look! Me'n Lizzie, like, totally did an aw- I mean, _great_ job on 'Merica! I mean, like, look at him! You can't even, like, tell it's him!" All of us had learned the hard way that if you said the word 'awesome', Gilbert would randomly pop out of nowhere with a 'you called?'.

"That's Alfred?" the Lithuanian asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"It's me," I sighed.

"Oh my gosh! It _is_ you! You look like a girl…"

"I know, right?"

"Would you shut up about that?" I growled at all of them, now irritated.

"Like, never!" Feliks replied, glomping the angst-ridden me. "Hey Liet, like, guess what!"

"What is it?" Toris looked at the other teen, interest sparkling in his eyes.

"These guys and Mattie formed a, like, club, and their main focus is to help struggling relationships! I joined them, so now I'm part of Team JOKER! You should join too!"

Toris frowned for a second, contemplating, and then shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Then welcome to Team JOKER, _mon ami_!" Francis grinned at the Lithuanian, a bit too enthused.

"Why are you called Team JOKER?" he voiced his question with curious expression.

"Well, originally, it was Jo- for Jones and –Ker for Kirkland," Kiku spoke up to answer the inquiry that I myself wanted to know the answer to, "but it's changed to be the Juvenile Overseeing Keepers of Evolving Relationships."

"I see…"

"This whole group was based on Alfred and Arthur's thick-headedness when it comes to each other's feelings…" Francis sighed. "Both of you are such idiots when it comes to _l'amour_…"

"HEY! YOU BAS-" I was silenced as five pairs of eyes glared at me, cold as Boston in the middle of December. Pouting, I looked away, suddenly interested by the wall.

The silence was broken by a rather loud "" (Haha, I remember recording that! Me'n Kiku recorded a random sound while playing together, and we both set it to something random on our laptops…) coming from Kiku's laptop. That was the tell-tale sign Kiku's computer gave whenever he received an email. The Japanese teen immediately jumped to his feet and pounced for the laptop, eyeing it hungrily. He landed on the bed next to it, and quickly rolled himself over, so as he could open up the email. The response was:

_**Arthur Kirkland**__ to me_

_ If this really is you, Allie, then I take you up on your offer in regards to the video-chat. I have… a lot of things to tell you. I'm kind of confused, and I think I'll need your 'awesome advice abilities' in this. And I really do miss you, even if I'm a bit angry._

_ But, if you don't mind, could you set up the whole chat thing? I'm not exactly privy to knowledge on the use of computers… Well, I am, but not in this field…_

_ My friend Mathieu sends warmest regards. He says he'd like to see you via chat as well, if you wouldn't mind._

_ Much love,_

_ -Artie_

The room was quiet after he read the response aloud, only for myself to break it. "I can't believe I'm about to do this… What if I call him 'Iggy' or something along those lines before I tell him by accident?"

"You are going to have to tell him eventually, _Amerika-kun_…" Kiku shook his head. He could tell I was becoming nervous.

Within seconds, we had the link set up on our end. And, in seconds, the connection was secure and Arthur and I had started to talk.

"Artie? OMG is that you?" From the look on everyone's faces, I was putting on a _very_ convincing act.

"_Hey Allie_," Arthur's voice came out clear and fluent on our end, almost as if he was standing in the room with us. He smiled weakly.

My expression melted into a heartwarming smile. "Artie, you have absolutely _no_ idea how awe- I mean, wonderful, it is to speak with you again!" I silently prayed he didn't make that connection. "I've dreamt about this so many times it's not funny! I've missed you so much, and I'm really sorry I didn't tell you I was moving! I just couldn't bring myself around to tell you that I was. You know how much I hate good-byes, and I-"

"_Al_," the Brit's voice cut me off. "_Relax. I'm not going anywhere. And you don't need to explain just yet. As long as you missed me and you're sorry about it, that's good enough for me."_

"…'Kay," I smiled brightly. "I love you, Artie!"

Arthur's eyes now resembled dinner plates. God, was the expression on his face priceless! To capture the moment, I made a picture that could be accessed later using the print-screen button. Kiku silently mouthed the words 'thank-you' to me.

"_Allie… I…_"

My smile turned bittersweet. "Yeah, I know. You're confused about your feelings, right? I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said anything…"

"_What- no! Allie, wait, I was just a bit startled was all. You know it's not every day I'm shown affection like that._"

My face scrunched up indignantly, just barely withholding the impulse to rant that our relationship nowadays was filled with stuff like that, only watered down a bit. "Well, get used to it," the American snapped. "I'm going to be saying it over and over!"

_"Have fun with that…"_

"I will!"

I was a bit surprised at how fast we'd sunk into our friendship once again. I would have thought that Arthur would get a bit mad, and start ranting, eventually succumbing to tears, only for myself to admit who I was and tell his story, making us make up and start a relationship.

_"By the way, you look really beautiful. I just thought I'd mention that. Seriously, you look great."_ I blushed.

"Thanks…. So what'd you need to talk about?"

_"Listen, Allie, I need your help with something."_

"What's up?"

_ "I…I'm confused. See, after you just left, I became pretty depressed… But, I've been feeling a lot better, recently. I met this person… He's wonderful, Al! And I'm only telling you this because you're my best friend, and no one else is around. The both of you would get along very well, I'm sure. He's always smiling, and there for me, and constantly has my back on things, and call me cliché but it's kind of like he completes me…"_

I could feel that my face was a deep scarlet color, while the rest of them were smiling. "Arthur, I'm so happy for you! So, what're you confused about?"

_"…Earlier today, he kissed me." _Arthur sighed._ "He said he loved me, too. I don't know why, but I panicked and pushed him away… I love him, Allie. I really do. But, I also love you, and I'm afraid. I'm afraid that he's just going to leave me…"_

"I don't think he will, Artie. I'm sorry for just leaving you back then, I really, truly am. I couldn't…" I sighed. How I wanted to gather him into my arms and kiss him senseless. Damn, my voice was getting hard to maintain. Clearing my throat, I stood. "I'll be right back, I need some water." He excused himself, and walked over to us.

"I'm going to tell him. I can't… Not after what happened earlier. I have to tell him who I really am, what I really am, and I have to make him understand I'm not lying when I say I love him."

Kiku nodded. "It's for the best."

I nodded back and smiled at them all while I grabbed a face-wipe from Lizzie's outstretched hand, getting rid of all of the make-up. I used another one; just to be sure I didn't miss anything. After I thanked both her and Feliks for their help, I quickly changed into the clothes I was wearing earlier and discarded all hair accessories. Slipping on my glasses with a sigh of relief, I walked back over to the computer, feeling nervous.

_"Ah, Allie! You're back! Sorry, I was just talking to my friend Mathieu, he—Alfred?"_ I don't think I've ever seen his eyes grow that wide.

"Hey, Artie," I shrugged, smiling wistfully.

_"What- how- when- WHAT?"_

"Hey, if you're going to say the question words, include 'Who' and 'Where'. They get lonely."

_"Wait, what the bloody hell is going on?"_

"That's the Artie I know and love!"

"_Shut up! Now tell me what the bloody hell is happening, you git!_"

"Heh… Listen, Iggy… I'm Allie… I was scared to tell you, because I wasn't sure how you'd react… And I…" I sighed. "I love you, Arthur. A lot."

_"But… How're you Allie?"_

"Allie Williams. Birthday, July 4th. My favorite color was red. I always wore my hair down, and the first time we kissed was July 4th, 2001, the day I left to move to America after my parents' divorce. I have a younger brother named Matt. You have three older brothers—Seamus, Maggie, Cameron, and Bryce. You usually don't talk to them because they enjoy picking on you. Since they're so much older than you, the only one still living at the house was you. Cameron is the oldest, he's eighteen years older than you. Then there's Bryce, and he's sixteen years older. Seamus and Maggie are fifteen years older. Your birthday is April 23rd, and I gave you the nickname Artie because I thought it sounded cuter than Arthur. I debated on calling you Captain Kirk, but you said that was lame. You have these mystical creatures you can talk to, and the only time I can see them is Halloween. Your favorites are Mint and Charles the unicorn. Is that enough proof?"

"_…I haven't told anyone about them… Besides Mattie, but I didn't tell him about Mint and Charles…But I don't see how…"_

"You remember how long my hair was, right?"

"_Yeah, shoulder length."_

"Guys used to make fun of me for it. So, I basically just went as a girl, because I liked my hair that way. Solved that problem sure enough. After I left for America… I wanted to forget about you, because it hurt. So, I went with my Dad's last name, Jones, cut my hair, returned to my boy appearance, and changed myself. It's become second nature, now…"

"_But… Why didn't you tell me?_"

"I was scared… About telling you I was Allie, that is. I just thought it was troublesome to tell you I was really a guy, so I just kept with it."

"_Why were you afraid of bloody telling me? I want to know this stuff!_"

"I was going to tell you; I mean, I called you Artie, remember? But I freaked out because I thought you wouldn't like me anymore if I was a guy…"

"_Al… Ugh. I need to talk to you. Face-to-face. Now. Where the hell are you?"_

"The Baltic Dorm. I'm in Feliks' room. You guys want to say hello?" I looked up at the others, eyes friendly and sparking with excitement.

Most of them readily agreed.

"Like, hey Iggy! That was, like, tots cute!" (Feliks)

"Hey Iggles! I'm so happy you and Alfie got your actual reunion!" (Elizaveta)

"Ah, _mon petit Angleterre_, that was _trés mignon_! Who knew you felt so strongly for _Amerique_?" (Francis)

"_Igirisu-san_, that was very heart-warming. _Ureshiku, desu_." (Kiku)

"Arthur, I'm glad you got to find out about Alfred!" (Toris)

"_Wait… all of you were there for the whole thing?"_ After we all gave some form of conformation, he turned red. "_And you all knew about Al?_"

"We actually found out right after you told us, _Igirisu-san_. We were relaying the story to our other senior team members, _Kanada-kun_ and _Hangari-chan_, when _Kanada-kun_ informed us about _Amerika-kun_. I formulated and headed this entire operation." Kiku informed my stunned little Brit. "We are Team JOKER. It is what we do."

"_Then Kiku, I thank you. Arigatou-gozaimasu, as you might say. You don't know…You have no idea how much this means to me._"

"_Arthur, can I come in n- Never mind. H-hello, you guys. I trust that everything's all right now?"_ a certain special Canadian approached the laptop, still cuddling Kumajirou.

"_Oui, mon cher._ We're going to head back over there now." Francis answered. I could just make out the light coloring of Mathieu's cheeks at the Frenchman's words. Damn Frenchie, hitting on my brother…

"_Okay! See you guys then!_" He shut down the camera, closing our connection. I was beaming, a confident swell in my chest.

"Can I kiss Artie now?" I asked, grinning.

"I would ask him first, but I think he would be okay with it, _Amerika-kun_."

"YAY!" I rushed out the door to fulfill said deed… I just had to see Artie!

**:(:):-(-Kiku's POV-)-:(:):**

I shook my head at Alfred's antics, and at Elizaveta's running after him. I turned to the Polish teen beside me, bowing with a polite smile. "Thank-you for assisting us, Feliks. All of us owe you."

"Like, don't mention it! 'Cause, I mean, we're a team! And we, like, gotta help each other out! As long as you, like, keep me informed, I'm totally okay with helping you out, like, whenever! I just totally want to know what's going on in the world of, like, romance!"

"Let us not lose the others_, mes amis. _We should go after them, _oui_?" We did as our somewhat-perverted friend suggested, and had caught up to Lizzie and Al in no time. Soon after, we arrived at the Allies Dorm.

"Al? Kiku, Lizzie, Francis, Feliks, Toris, is that you guys?" Mathieu asked, clambering down the stairs.

"Mattie! Where's Iggy?" Alfred immediately said upon his twin's inquiry.

"I'm over here, you bloody git," Arthur was right behind Mathieu, a soft smile gracing his features. I'd never seen such a look upon his face, and it was pretty refreshing, if I might add. Alfred looked euphoric.

"IGGY!" the ecstatic American exclaimed, pulling the smaller blonde into a hug. "Yay! Now I don't have to hide anything!" he said, spinning around happily. Igirisu-san turned bright red at the contact.

"L-let go of me! I'm still mad at you!"

Alfred did as he was asked, only to pout. "But whyyyyyyyyy?" he whined, looking like a kicked puppy.

"…Fine. You're allowed one hug—only one, and I me- _mmph_!"

Of course, the tall blonde would have to ignore my advice and just kiss him, without the other's consent. However, it surprised us all when Arthur relaxed and responded positively. If I may quote Feliks on something he would say later, he "…like, totally cooperated!" he threw his arms around his overly-excited partner, grabbing onto his hair and deepened the kiss. They had started clawing at each other's clothes when I cleared my throat. The snapped to attention, looking embarrassed. More so on Arthur's part, because Alfred was in a dream-like state, expression at a level of bliss that I'd never seen.

"Might I remind you there are other people in the room, and that the two of you are a little young to be doing such activities?"

"Oh, come on! Fine, I'll wait for tomorrow. That'll be my birthday present, 'kay Artie?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, bloody twat." After kissing the American once more, he walked out of the room, Mathieu, Francis, and Lizzie following close behind.

"We'd better get back to our dorm, it's almost curfew. We don't want to get caught out of our section past it. See you guys at the party tomorrow!" Toris said, dragging Feliks behind him. There were several sections for the dorms, and you had to be back to your section by 9 PM or you better hope you don't get caught. Our section consisted of the Allies and Axis dorms, so we were free to mingle back and forth.

Alfred and I played SoulSilver after that, and it was a long, grueling half-hour long battle between the two of us. I won in the end using my Togekiss, but Alfred's Meganium came pretty close to beating me. I only had 4 HP left!

We went to bed with our minds on hyper-drive in anticipation of the next day—the twins and the Italy brother's birthday party! I could see Herecles and Sadiq. I had grown close to those two, but especially so to the Grecian. You could say that I… fancy him, in so many words. We are very compatible, and being with him makes me very happy. It feels so natural, safe, and right. I'll leave it up to you to interpret that for me. Hopefully you come up with some answers. But for now, I just want to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

"_Ah… Francis…" _Mathieu gazed up at me through half lidded eyes, face rosy and expression lewd. "_It hurts…_"

"_Hush, mon amour. It'll feel better in a second._" He nodded, wincing at my sudden movement.

"_F-Francis_!" he yelped as I thrusted, soon finding a rhythm. "_I'm going to-_"

"Francis, wake up!" I shot up as something heavy landed on my stomach. Who was it but my little Mathieu, grinning from ear to ear. His knees were positioned on either side of me, hands on my chest as he looked at me excitedly through oval-shaped glasses. I silently prayed that he hadn't noticed the little problem I sported in relation to my manhood…

"Ah, _mon amour_, is it finally the day you admit your love for me?" I smirked, wanting to draw some sort of cute reaction from the younger teen.

He turned bright red, looking sheepish all of the sudden. Score. "N-No! I just came to wake you up, because everyone else is already down at breakfast and yours was getting cold! It was my turn, so I made pancakes for everyone… I wanted you to try them, was all."

"I'm feeling faint… Would you mouth-feed it to me, _mon petit Mathieu_?"

Once again, I elicited a blush upon that adorable little face of his. "Oh, please," he said rolling his eyes. "We both know that's _not _going to happen. Especially not after watching Alfred attempt to do said activity to Arthur. Without his consent. I'll admit it was every entertaining, though… Maple~… What's Kiku done to me~…" he sank down onto my chest, completely lowering himself onto me.

I tried my hardest not to jump him, as he was there, _on me_, _vulnerable, and I was extremely horny. _It's not fair, what he does to me. In truth, while I have perverted thoughts, I'm actually pretty respectable. I just speak my mind. A lot. And I enjoy teasing people. But at this moment, every decent thought had suddenly flown from my mind, and was scheming all sorts of things to do to the poor defenseless soul straddling my body.

"Mathieu, as much I would love to do certain activities with you, could you please remove yourself from me? I do not wish to ruin our relationship."

Immediately catching my drift, the Canadian leapt off me, red. "N-no problem, Francis."

"_Merci, mon amour_," the boy turned to leave, before I stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. I twirled him around to face me. Smiling at the confused blonde, I kissed his forehead with a "Happy Birthday, Mathieu." He grinned at me, and pulled my chin down to actually kiss me. Mathieu and I froze, and he backed away, blushing once again.

"S-sorry, I don't know what came over me…"

For once, I started turning red. Had he really just… kissed me? "_Non_, _mon cheri_. I don't mind… I was merely… startled…"

He pouted, looking up at me with annoyed look in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"…What?" What was up with Mathieu today? First, he's all confident and happy, then shy, then he turns romantic and kisses me, and now he's mad at me? If it weren't for that time that I saw him changing by accident, I'd think he was a girl PMSing! None the less, I love him.

"You break into random French, all the time! And I have no clue what you're saying! And you don't even tell me what you mean! I want to know what you're calling me all the time…"

I chuckled, realizing what my dear Canadian was referring to. "Ah, well… _Mon cher_ is 'my dear', _mon ami_ is 'my friend', _mon cheri_ is 'my darling', and _mon amour_… is 'my love'…" I pulled him into a tight embrace. "_L'Angleterre_ and _l'Amerique_ have had their happy ending—my turn."

Once again, Mathieu blushed. Just before I could kiss him, his damn American brother kicked open the door with a "FRANCIS, WAKE UP!" Alfred's expression turned blank when he saw the position we were in, all three of our faces coloring at the same time.

"I'll… just… IGGY!" he fled from the room in search of his British boyfriend.

I shook my head, stepping away from the ADHD-positive teen's brother. "Come on. You said you made breakfast, _oui_?"

"U-uh… Yeah! L-let's go…" he picked up his pet polar bear from the ground, cuddled it, and led me out of the room with one fair, dainty hand. I smiled at how he smiled at me, brimming with warmth and joy.

Damn, he was good at making pancakes. My short stack was nicely accompanied by freshly cut strawberries, whip cream, and maple syrup (the real stuff, mind you). After I complemented his cooking skills, he turned bright red. How I loved making Mathieu blush, that expression was just precious.

After I finished eating, he gestured to the door with his head. "C'mon. The others are over at the Axis Dorm, we were going to help the start to set up the party in half an hour."

I nodded. "Then we shall head over, _non_?"

"_O-oui_."

**:(:):-(-:-)-:(:):**

It was hectic in the Axis Dorm, alright. Feliciano was ranting about pasta, Ludwig just sat there and nodded, merely to humor the Italian. Gilbert and Alfred were blowing up in each other's faces, over who was 'awesomer' (that's why egomaniacs don't hang out together). Ivan and Yao were having a mock debate with Kiku and Arthur, and Lizzie, Roderich, and Lovino were nowhere to be found.

I dragged Mathieu along beside me as I made my way to the music room. I knew that Roderich would be there, and, surprise, surprise—Lizzie was there too. They seemed to be working on their duet, to the song _Eternal Snow_. I shrugged and picked up my violin, and sank into the song. I had come here to practice, after all. My little Canadian fell in tune with Elizaveta, his voice sounding surprisingly intriguing. He really needs to speak up more, because the way he forms his words and the sound of it all way truly beautiful. It kind of sounded more like a girl… Yet, their merging melodies were in harmony, flowing through the words masterfully. It was a wonder the boy didn't sing more…

"_Hold me tight, konna omoi na-"_

"SPAGNA!" came a yelp from upstairs. All of us stopped playing, startled by the sudden noise. That was Romano's voice…

I motioned for the others to follow me, but Roderich turned me down, saying he'd rather keep at the song. My teammates and I stopped at the Italian's bedroom door, as Feliciano, Alfred, Arthur, Gilbert, Kiku, and Ludwig were already looking in. The brunette tossed and turned, moaning and gasping. A bright blush covered Kiku, Ludwig, Alfred, Arthur, Mathieu, and Lizzie's faces. Well, this was unexpected. But you really can't help what you dream… Were sex dreams the theme for the past 24 hours? I mean, I had one last night…

"What's wrong with my Romanito?" Antonio asked, appearing next to me. I put my arm around his shoulders, with the opposite hand on his chest.

"Nothing, _mon ami_. Why don't you help Ivan and Yao finish up the tables? We were almost done…"

"But-"

"Go."

"O-okay… I guess…" he said, turning around to head outside, "but if something happens, come and get me. I don't want anything to happen to my Romamor." The look that crossed my friend's face was dark and menacing. Okay, no screwing with Lovino~…

Almost immediately following the Spaniard's departure, Romano started up again. Arthur had followed Spain downstairs, as had Gilbert and Ludwig. Feliciano noticed the absence of his larger German friend, freaked, and bolted after him. And that's when the normally hormonal Italian started _moaning._ He writhed on the bed, and suddenly called out Antonio's name as if in ecstasy.

Kiku blushed so hard he turned a deep maroon color. "I-I'm going to go…" he said and ran away. Alfred and Mathieu slowly nodded, and took off after the others.

"Hey… I'm going to go after _mon petit _Mattie. Wanna come with _moi_?" I asked Elizaveta. She vigorously shook her head while watching to arousing scene, armed with an expensive video camera. "'Kay, _mon ami_. I'll see you later!"

I ran down the staircase, walked across the house, and exited the house via front door. When I walked onto the farmer's porch, I noticed the four huge tables that were set up. Each sat twelve people. All of the decorations and such were set up, balloons scattered everywhere. The others were in the front yard playing with a Frisbee. As fast as I could, I jumped in and intercepted a smooth and flawless pass from Arthur to Antonio. I rolled to the ground to soften my impact, landing in at Mathieu's feet. I laughed lightly.

Mattie started giggling too, his laughter in the likeness of tinkling bells. I could feel my heart build with many confusing and complex feelings. The boy squatted down, smirking as he nicked the disk from my grasp. It sailed over to Gilbert in what seemed like an effortless throw, his gaze never once leaving mine. I'd never noticed just how beautiful his eyes really were… A violet-blue, sparkling with the spark of youth, happiness, and raw curiosity. There was another feeling there, though… It was an endearing, warm light, making my chest feel as if it may explode. For a moment, it really felt as if we were the only ones there… everything seemed to fade away as we just stared into each other's eyes, emotions laid out for the other to see. There was no hiding now.

I shook away the moment, dragging us both back into reality by kissing him swiftly. Have I mentioned how much I love to make him blush? Because I do. It's adorable. I looked at the others. Feliciano was grinning and going about how cute we were as Ludwig tried to contain the boy, Kiku was blushing, Arthur twitched, Yao and Ivan seemed completely unaffected, and Alfred looked as if he were about to strangle me. And Gilbert… looked jealous? I waggled my eyebrows and repeated the gesture after I stood, only intensifying the reactions.

"Francis… If you would _please_ remove yourself from my little brother…" Alfred growled. Arthur sighed, walking over to the fuming American. I thought he hated me~… Apparently not, because to avoid conflict he pulled the other boy into a tender and loving kiss. And with that, Alfred completely forgot about me, focusing in on suiting his boyfriend's needs in the affection department. I sighed. I needed to get myself a sweetheart…

**:(:):-(-:-)-:(:):**

Attending the party were all of the other students, Roma, and the teachers. This whole thing was being thrown to celebrate the birthdays of Alfred, Mathieu, and Bang (that kid from Hong Kong). After a small gift swap, we had cake and ice-cream. On my right was _mon chaton_ Mathieu, to my left was Gilbert, and in front of me sat Antonio. I toyed with that mysterious little curl of the Canadian's, a bright blush spreading quickly.

Laughter erupted across further down the table. Somehow, Alfred had gotten cherry ice-cream all over his nose. Then, something completely unexpected happened. Kiku, who had been wiping frosting off his hands, came up behind the blonde, wiped a lot of the cold substance off with his index finger, then _licked it off_ said appendage. A startled look came into his eyes as he realized what he was doing, a deep blush covering his entire face. Everyone stared at the embarrassed Asian in shock. Alfred looked absolutely mortified, and Herecles looked a bit aroused by the sight. I'll admit, the way he licked his finger was quite sexy. Arthur seemed to be the most shocked, even a bit jealous. The result of such was the Brit grabbing a hold of the American's chin, pulling his head down, and swiping away the rest of the dairy treat with a flitting pink tongue. He quirked his fuzzy eyebrows as if to say 'You're mine', then captured the other's lips with his own. I don't even want to _know_ what those two have done so far. Wait, maybe I do. I'll ask Elizaveta about it later.

Those of us from the Allies Dorm, Kiku, Lizzie, Feliks, and Toris shrugged it off, already over it, but the others stared at them surprised. Principal Rome looked utterly shocked. When they noticed the looks they were getting, both of them turned red. Naturally, that didn't stop Alfred from smirking and pulling the other away from the group, tugging him towards the pond behind our dorms with the mutter of "my birthday present". I smirked, and addressed the people.

"Ah, _amour_ can occur amongst the strangest of couples, _non_? After their little skirmish yesterday, they finally admitted their feelings and _voila_, we get what you just saw." I turned to my teammates. "Lizzie, Mathieu, if you would be so kind as to join me to make sure they don't ravish each other. Kiku, Feliks, Toris, you too."

We set off to follow them, myself in the lead. The lot of us were just in time to stop them, because they were already shirtless and fumbling with buttons. Kiku, Lizzie, Toris, and Mathieu all turned a few shades of pink darker when Arthur moaned at the other's touch. I decided that it'd gone on longer enough.

"Okay, you two, you can do this tonight, but not in the middle of Al's birthday party. You managed to shock the hell out of the professors, and do something completely sexual in front of children!" I scolded.

"L-Like you're any better! You make a ton of lewd comments in front of them all!" Arthur protested, face burning red. To the point of glowing. Today has been very awkward, hasn't it…

"Whatever, _mon cher_. Can we return to the festivities now…?" I asked, face hopeful. I would have to be the mature one here… Sigh… I wanted them to continue, in all honesty, but that wouldn't be very responsible. Damn growing up in a rich household.

**:(:):-(-:-)-:(:):**

We returned to the others with minor conflicts, mainly caused by myself. I would tease _mon petit Angleterre_, causing Alfred, Mathieu, and said Brit to argue back. Kiku and Lizzie merely giggled and videotaped the whole thing, as Feliks and Toris talked to each other.

The rest of the party went without much of a hitch. Well, besides Feli being a total emotional wreck as usual. He's such a cute kid, really. I spent the majority of the time left talking to Arthur, Gilbert, and Antonio, having another mock debate on the subject of the best foods. I stood by wine, whereas Gilbert said 'the awesomeness that is wurst!', Antonio was with tomatoes, and Arthur stubbornly backed 'tea and scones'. It basically ended on us all agreeing that booze was best… After that, I leaned back in my chair and sipped my wine. Ah, how I love this place… Nary a drinking law on the entire premise! I must admit, I'd grown rather fond of wine. Not to the point of addiction, but it had definitely landed itself on my top ten drinks list…

Arthur eventually ended up getting into a skirmish with Alfred, over the simple matter of Al's hair style. Arthur said it was completely unruly and not very becoming of a gentleman. Alfred countered saying that the Brit's own hairstyle wasn't all that different from the American's, causing the shorter blonde to become angry. They argued back and forth for a long period of time, then ended with "Just shut up and kiss me, you git!", and ended up going into another make-out session. Ah, the wonders of drinks. I'm almost one hundred percent sure that he would and/or couldn't have done that without both a bottle of rum and his low tolerance for all alcohol.

So, all in all, this entire party ended up in an assemblage of drunken and/or hyperactive and/or delirious teenagers. And a bunch of wasted teachers. Honestly, the whole situation was rather bizarre. But that's the IYSA, right?

I sighed to myself. Classes would start in less than a month. Well, let us enjoy this summer while it lasts! Maybe I can weasel some gossip out of Kiku later… That should be fun. Wait, no. No it wouldn't. He's still drunk, and locked in his room again. Poor kid… We really shouldn't let him anywhere near the stuff.

**:(:):-(-:-)-:(:):**

Today has been… interesting. Because of yesterday's party, everyone is bitchy or hung-over. It really kinda sucks. All of the annoyed people were screaming at each other, causing people like me to shout back because our heads are pounding like shit. Yes, I am writing this in said condition…. I apologize if I get a bit rowdy… Mornings after drunken stupors are hell.

However, I did manage to find something interesting about Kiku. While we were talking, he started ranting about how thick Herecles was, never realizing his feelings. He'd already dumped three shots down his throat… Well at least he's not going on a match-making rampage again.

As for what everyone else is doing… Alfred and Arthur have disappeared, but I have Lizzie on that. Romano is screaming at Antonio, who is just laughing at him and hugging him from behind. They make a very cute couple, non? Gilbert is pestering Roderich, who is trying to work on another one of his compositions. Ludwig is trying to deal with a very grumpy Feliciano… From how he normally acts, this is very unusual. And kind of scary, because now he's acting like his older brother… Mon Mathieu has burrowed away in his room, trying to cope with the pounding in his head. Ivan is elsewhere, and I wouldn't doubt it if he was at the Baltics Dorm. I already knew that Yao had headed over to the Asian Dorm, as he did that every morning. As of late, he's been hanging out more and more with them. Kiku and I am having a heart-to-heart conversation, which is nice because we really don't talk all that often. I've discovered that he likes Herecles, doesn't get along with society back home, and is a well-known doujinka in the Japanese anime fandom. I let him into my head, including my feelings for Mathieu.

We also talked about classes, which loomed on the nearby horizon….

**Hani: Okay y'all, we're completely caught up. The next chapter will be up shortly, and I have everything planned! It'll be up very very soon…**


	8. Chapter 7

Caesar "Rome" Vargas bit his lower lip nervously as he walked through the stone labyrinth that ran underneath the entire Island of Nations. His head was lowered in a submissive way, eyes clouded in anxiety. Rome wiped sweaty palms on the legs of his pants, continuing to follow after the man in black that walked in front of him.

What could _he _possibly want? Rome hadn't done anything wrong, that he knew of. Sure, he'd pissed off Germania and Gaul a few times, but it was nothing major, and _he'd _never brought it up as an issue… Rome felt himself get jittery.

A pale hand grabbed his shoulder, and he jolted. Rome slowly turned, swallowing hard. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when it turned out to be his best friend, Germania. The man's face would appear hard to those who didn't know him well; anyone who knew the man as intimately as he would easily be able to pick out the concern that his features expressed.

"Relax, Rome," he spoke softly, giving his hand a friendly squeeze as their fingers interlaced, "We'll be fine."

The Roman gave a weak smile that he knew the German would be able to see through. They were too close for it to be otherwise.

If it weren't for Germania's quick reflexes, Rome would have walked straight into the man in black who walked in front of them, but the stoic blond quickly pulled the brunette back a safe distance away. Rome sent him a grateful look. Bumping into one of _them _could very well be the last thing they ever did. The door in front of the cloaked man slowly creaked open, making the normally sunny man shudder. With a deep breath in an attempt to calm his anxiety, he stepped into the room, hand interlocked with this long-time lover's. The door slammed shut behind them, making Rome wince. They were now alone with that _thing_.

The room they stood in was….eerie, to say the least. The only source of light was the piles of low-burning wood that was scattered around the floor of the stone room. With walls and floor made of a cold, black stone, every step, every _sound_ echoed around the large room. Rome resisted the urge to look up by closing his eyes and focusing on breathing properly, knowing that above them was an impossibly tall ceiling. Hanging down from that ceiling would be an enormous spider, as tall as he was when he stood, with enormous fangs that dripped venom, clinging to a sticky, white web woven of string so strong not even a chainsaw could escape it's confines. Lingering in the air was a foul stench, a mixture of musk, spoiled milk, and, even worse: death, rotting flesh, and blood. On the wall farthest from where the two men stood were crossed chains, securely locked in place.

Hanging from the cold, hard manacles was a sickly pale man, bones visible through limp skin. He wore no clothes, exposing his grotesque body to the air for all to see. Dried blood caked his body, but none of it was his own. There was no hair atop his head, with purely black eyes staring out from a revolting face. Rotted teeth of black and gray gnawed on the flesh of something—or some_one_—that neither man wanted to know the true identity of. The knowledge would most likely make it more painful…Bloodlust mixed with ambition and intelligence shone in the depths of his eyes, alert to any and all threats. This was no human Rome and Germania were up against…This was General Winter, an age-old demon who had inhibited this very island from before the founding of Egypt. And he had no plans to leave it.

General Winter let out a wheezing chuckle that soon turned maniacal, making Rome's breath catch. Oh, how he longed to just bolt it out of the room, but sadly, that wasn't an option. Germania's tightened grip was either A) telling Rome that he was scared, and that he needed comforting, B) inflicting pain on him because he could, or C) warning him not to try anything. Knowing Germania, he figured it was the third option. Though, he wouldn't put B past the man.

"Well, if it isn't Julius Caesar…" The demon cackled, addressing Rome by the alias he had chosen for this round of the IYSA. His voice was hard and gruff, yet high pitched in a way that sent chills up the spine of any mortal who heard it. "I've been expecting you… And it seems you brought little Lukas with you, as well…" Lukas was the name Germania had adopted; his actual name was Niklas Beilschmidt. "This certainly makes things easier… Now, do you know why…I called you here…? **Answer me.**"

Rome had no choice but to comply with what the demon said. "No, sir. I do not." It was extremely hard to keep from stuttering with the waves of intimidation and unease that the room seemed to radiate.

General Winter's eyes narrowed dangerously, almost causing Rome to take a step back. However, it was Germania's seemingly calm presence that kept him going strong.

_Remember, do this for Nik and the kids. One wrong move and it's over for all of us…_ he thought, trying to keep himself from having a panic attack.

The demon on the wall suddenly burst out laughing once again, head rolling from side to side in his wild guffaws. General Winter's head lolled forward, and he looked up at them in a menacing manner. "You seem frightened, Julius, Lukas…" he smirked, glee dancing in black eyes, "While that is completely justified, you may relax for a moment. I merely have a harmless assignment…"

The more fear he saw in his subordinates, the stronger he became. This often worked against people for the worst.

"Would you like to disclose the objective of this task?" Germania stepped forward, face solemn.

"Yes, I would. You've always been a sharp one, Lukas." General Winter beckoned them closer with the motioning of his head, and the two reluctantly, tentatively, and—on Rome's part—timidly made their way forward. "I have taken a special interest in a few of our students. You are probably familiar with them, no?" Again, the demon motioned with his chin for them to look at the wall next to them. In burning orange letters on the wall were the names of a select few students.

_Gilbert Beilschmidt_

_Ludwig Beilschmidt_

_Francis Bonnefoy_

_Ivan Braginski_

_Kiku Honda_

_Alfred Jones_

_Arthur Kirkland_

_Feliciano Vargas_

_Lovino Vargas_

_Yao Wang_

_Mathieu Williams_

Both men stared at the wall in horror. Quite a few of their grandchildren were on the board, and neither of them liked that; not one bit.

"I see that you do! Kehehe… These children exhibit unbelievable amounts of power, and due to my weakened state, these are the ones I want to target out of them all. The Russian, the American, the younger Italian, and the Briton most of all… I want you to get close to them. Find out what they like, their fears…what makes them tick. Can you do this?"

The two men shared a quick, fleeting glance at each other. They had absolutely no choice in the matter, as much as they hated it.

"….We can," they said in low voices.

* * *

Rome sat at his desk later that day, head in his hands. "I just don't understand why he would choose them…."

"They've very strong wills, all of them. Those are just the kinds of people he likes to target… Both of us know this from past experience," Germania said, leaning against a wall.

Rome looked up at his best friend, eyes red. "We have to do everything we can…."

"And we will. This time will be different," the blond walked over and put a hand on the other's shoulder, "and everyone will be saved."

"Promise?"

"I swear it."

Those soft-spoken words made Rome realize just how far they'd come since the beginning. Years upon years with no one but each other had changed them both. The blond couldn't stand him originally, but look at them now. Rome smiled a bit, hope starting to bloom in his heart. This time they could do it. This time they wouldn't have to leave everyone behind.

This time….

They just might get out alive.

* * *

It was a calm, autumn morning, and our band of heroes was walking to class, chattering excitedly. The crisp, cool air assailed their lungs, the strange sensation of the cold warming up in their bodies leaving them a bit breathless. Francis was walking with Antonio, because apparently they needed to talk about something, and Eliza had headed off with Roderich, leaving just a small, centralized group to themselves. Per usual, our favorite Prussian and American were having their daily awesome-off. A certain Brit looked like he was ready to bash his head against his textbook, with Mathieu smiling nervously and patting his shoulder. Kiku watched in slight amusement as the two's exchange got even more heated.

"Well, I'm older than you! That makes me awesomer!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"But that means you die before me! Making me awesomer!" Alfred countered.

"Well I'm Prussian! That's the awesomest country in the world!"

"America is so much better!"

"You're buried in debt… That doesn't sound very awesome."

"Your country doesn't exist anymore because it was too weak." The American smirked at the incredulous look on the albino's face. His smirk widened as the albino walked around a tree and sat behind it so he was out of view as he sulked.

"Alright! The awesome hero, also known as me, says that we get to class! C'mon, Iggy, Kiku, Mattie!"

Mathieu sighed, walking away from the group towards Gilbert. "Gil, are you okay?"

A sniffle. "Ja, fine." Then a… peep? The Canadian looked down, to find a small chick on the ground. He gasped in wonder, bending down to examine it closer.

"Gil, look…" He smiled softly. "It's a baby bird!"

Gilbert crawled over from his hiding spot. Between the adorable look on Matt's face, and the tiny, helpless baby bird, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he scooped the little thing up into his hands. "Awesome! He'll be my minion, and he will be awesome, like me! Hey Mattie, any ideas on what to name this awesome little chick?"

Matt frowned. "Gil…. You aren't supposed to touch a baby bird…"

"Why? The awesome me thinks it needs me!"

"But Gil, it's mom might not take it back."

Gil looked at the tiny yellow ball of fluff in his hands. Two beady black eyes peered up at him, and immediately he felt something inside him melt. "Well…. That's okay! His mom wasn't awesome enough for him if she let him fall out of the nest! Birdie, why don't you be his new mom?"

Before the Canadian could protest, the silveret plopped the little bird onto his head and walked away like nothing had happened. Matthew reached up, patting the small creature that had its talons clinging to soft blonde hair.

"It's okay. Gilbert isn't such a bad guy…most of the time. We'll make sure you're safe. For now, stick with me, eh?"

The bird gave a little peep in response, causing the blonde to smile. Well… No harm in just taking care of him for a little bit.

* * *

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.**

**I really try…. But life's been busy. There has just been a lot of other responsibilities that have been keeping me back from writing. **

**And roleplaying on FB, which gave me my muse back! I roleplay a Romano, Spain, and a Finland! I also roleplay a Massachusetts, but… OCs are lame, si? Aside from my London, of course. I love him so much. So very much.**

**To those two awesome reviewers who told me to update, THANK YOU! You got my little butt in gear! :D …This is all I got for you, though…. Sorry. **

**Um, reviews are awesome and loved to bits!**

**And to the amazingly awesome A Bleach-Drinking Hetalian, my lovely Trin-neechan-senpai, the Lud to my Lovi, the America to my France, the Lovi and Turkey to my Spain and Lovi…if you read this…Your Gil gave me this idea. I don't know why, but he inspired me to do this. XD 3**

**Oh…  
YOU ALL JUST LOST THE GAME.**


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